OVERNIGHT road closures will be in place from tomorrow evening (January 4) as part of the A31 improvement works in Ringwood.

From January 4, 2022, the Ringwood westbound entry and exit slip roads will be closed from 8pm to 6am.

The A31 Ringwood westbound entry slip road is due to be closed untul November 30. 

A signed diversion will be in place via the Poulner Hill junction. 

A statement on the National Highways South East Facebook page said: "We’re going to be replacing the bridges that carry the westbound carriageway over the river, and the nearby Bickerley Millstream, as part of our improvements to reduce congestion, improve safety and provide a road suitable for the future.

On Tuesday 4 January, we’ll be closing the westbound exit and entry slips roads on the A31 at Ringwood from 8pm. The exit slip will reopen by 6am the following morning.

"To help keep everyone safe, the westbound entry slip will remain closed until our improvements are finished in November 2022. If you would like to join the A31 at Ringwood during this time, a signed diversion will be in place via the Poulner Hill junction."

The closure of the slip road that allows vehicles to join the westbound A31 from the Ringwood roundabout had been due to start on November 15, 2021 but was postponed until January 4 after concerns were raised by Ringwood Town Council, local retailers and residents about the impact on the town.  

A contraflow is due to be put in place later this month on January 26. 

The statement continued: "To allow us to demolish the bridges, a contraflow will be introduced at the end of January, with two lanes of eastbound and two lanes of westbound traffic using the eastbound carriageway."

The A31 scheme will add a third lane in the westbound direction to provide additional capacity and the bridges over the River Avon and Bickerley Millstream will be replaced and widened to allow for the additional lane.

On January 23 and January 25 there will be full closures of the A31 westbound between the Ringwood and Verwood junctions from 8pm to 6am.

On January 24, the A31 eastbound between Verwood and Ringwood junctions will be closed from 8pm to 6am. 

Visit: highwaysengland.co.uk/a31ringwood

 

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