From September 2015 to May 2016, major construction work will be carried out to the A338.
The £22m scheme, funded by the Dorset Local Enterprise Partnership, will reconstruct the five-and-a-half mile stretch of road between the Ashley Heath Roundabout and the Blackwater Junction. It will also include:
- replacing and upgrading safety barrier to concrete
- improving failed drainage to solve flood problems associated with the road
- bringing the carriageway width up to current standards
- renewing road signs
- carrying out maintenance and protection to bridges
Please note that journeys on the X3, X6 and 38 bus routes on the More bus service will take longer than usual. Temporary timetables will be in place from Monday 7 September – if you use any of these routes, please take the time to check when the services are running.
Timeline
From Sunday 6 September for two weeks, there will be closures throughout the day and night on both the northbound and southbound carriageways. During this fortnight work will concentrate on removing any remaining trees or vegetation obstructing the work, installing traffic management, speed cameras and CCTV and resurfacing works around Blackwater.
From Monday 21 September until Christmas, the southbound carriageway will be reconstructed between Blackwater Junction and the QinetiQ access, with a 40mph contraflow on the northbound carriageway.
In the New Year, work will focus on the northern end of the scheme, with the reconstruction of the stretch between Ashley Heath Roundabout and the QinetiQ entrance. Work will start on the southbound side, with traffic remaining in the northbound contraflow. There will also be speed restrictions on the A31 in this area during this phase of work.
From March until the end of May, the northbound carriageway will be reconstructed with the contraflow traffic on the newly built southbound side.
Throughout the work there may be times where additional overnight closures are required for surfacing work and to rearrange traffic management.
For regular updates on the works, please head to the website. To find out more about why the works are taking place, visit the Dorset for You website.