15 Weeks Of Disruption On A35 In Poole

Drivers through the Upton area of Poole are being advised to allow extra time for their journeys while highway maintenance is carried out on the A35 Upton Bypass.

In total, Dorset County Council will be working on the dual carriageway between Bakers Arms Roundabout and the Upton Junction for 15 weeks.

For five weeks, between 5 November and 7 December, one lane will be closed in the eastbound direction (towards Poole) while bridge strengthening work, drainage improvements and barrier repairs are carried out.

The eastbound carriageway will also be closed overnight during two of these weeks, from 5 November to 17 November, between 7pm and 6am for resurfacing. Traffic will be diverted via Dorchester Road, B3067, Poole Road and A350.

Dorset Highways operations manager Andrew Martin said:

"Policemans Lane Bridge, which carries the A350 over the bypass, has been assessed as being under-strength if a vehicle was to collide into one of its support columns.

"There are three sets of support columns - eastbound, westbound and central - and it will take five weeks for each set of columns to be strengthened with reinforced concrete.

"This is vital safety work and it cannot be completed any quicker. We are making the most of the traffic management needed and undertaking a variety of highway works at the same time."

Doing all of this work at the same time will save around three weeks of extra traffic management, which had previously been programmed for 2013.

Andrew continued:

"Highway work on roads as busy as the Upton Bypass will inevitably lead to delays, so we're advising residents to plan ahead and allow extra time for their journeys.

"We take the responsibility of keeping our road network safe very seriously, and there is no alternative way of carrying out these improvements and repairs."

The second phase of work, on the westbound carriageway and central reservation, will be carried out over ten weeks in the New Year between 14 January and 22 March.

For more information about the work visit www.dorsetforyou.com/upton-bypass-works

Follow @dorsetforyou on twitter to keep updated on the progress of the work.