A PUBLIC consultation is set to take place later this year to look at options for widening the A31 at Ringwood.

Highways England are set to present the options - the details of which are not yet known - on either May 19-20 or June 9-10 at the Gateway offices.

The works will involve the addition of a third lane westbound between Ringwood, at the Salisbury Road roundabout, and the Verwood and Hurn Lane turn-off.

Part of the public consultation will include the options of closing West Street to the dual carriageway.

The road, which starts at Market Place and joins the A31 at The Fish Inn pub, is often used as a rat-run at peak traffic times.

Town councillors have said they are keen to see models identifying what would happen to the town's traffic flow should West Street be closed off, particularly with traffic coming from Hightown.

Part of the consultation will also discuss the option of slowing traffic from 70mph to 50mph.

Councillor Steve Rippon-Swaine said that the road's construction would take around 18 months, with a proposed completion date of June 2020.