HIGHWAYS and utility company bosses say they are doing all they can to minimise disruption around the area during the rebuild of the Bournemouth Spur Road.

The number of works, especially on diversion routes around the A338, have left business leaders and drivers questioning how much more the area can take.

Since the Spur Road project began there have been restrictions on a variety of roads, including the A347 at Parley and Stony Lane at Christchurch.

On top of that, it has emerged that work will also begin on November 19, lasting a one-to-two weeks, at the Chapel Gate roundabout, where Dorset County Council will be digging trial holes for buried cables ahead of the roundabout being replaced with traffic lights next autumn.

It has promised that the work, which is part of the Dorset Local Enterprise Partnership Air Growth Programme, will cause little disruption as it will take place on the verges.

Away from the routes that drivers have been taking to avoid the Spur Road, the conurbation has also seen delays at Alder Road in Poole for BT work, while there has been gas work at Ham Lane in Longham and Bournemouth Water is to close Albert Road in Bournemouth town centre from today until Friday.

Dorset County Council traffic team manager, Kevin Cheleda, said: “We’ve known about the Spur Road scheme for about 18 months before it started; the way we plan our works is legislation-driven and the utility companies have to abide by that as well.

“We hold quarterly meetings, which include Borough of Poole and Bournemouth Borough Council, to co-ordinate the schemes and it’s complicated.

“We look at clashes and sometimes we have to ask for some to be rearranged.

“We have a duty to facilitate and co-operate with the utility companies to help them make their works happen.”

However, he said one problem at the moment was that there was a lot of development work going on, which all need utility connections. The council can insist on seven-day and overnight working to try to mitigate the impact.

“Developers sit slightly outside of the categories and as soon as the developer pays the money for their connections, the utility companies are supposed to carry that out within five weeks," he added.

Mr Cheleda said that alternative routes for the A338 were being 'protected' as far as possible during the rebuild.

He added that the A347 and A348 had seen less than a 10 per cent increase in traffic since the Spur Road work began, although Matchams Lane’s volumes had doubled.

Ian Girling, chief executive of Dorset Chamber and Commerce of Industry, said: “The roadworks are having a severe impact out there, it seems like there’s a lot going on at the same time and it must be having a big impact on businesses.

“Journeys are taking so long; it seems like really poor planning.

“The whole conurbation is feeling gridlocked.”

But he added: “There is the long-term issue that the infrastructure has to be fit for purpose. We need sustainable travel for the future to give economic growth.

“But the pace of work doesn’t always seem to be very quick on jobs – people report seeing a lack of activity.”

Gary Powell, head of traffic management at Bournemouth Borough Council, said it was working closely with other authorities during the A338 work.

He added: “To minimise disruption we have co-ordinated all the council’s and utility companies’ planned works so that there is less impact on those travelling in and around Bournemouth, particularly on the main routes in the borough.

“Inevitably there are some works, such as emergency works, that need to undertaken by utility companies and we manage these as and when they arise.”

A spokesman for Bournemouth Water added: “We communicate with the councils and highway authorities to notify them about our planned and unplanned works and liaise closely with other utilities to minimise disruption wherever we can.

“Some of our major work is planned so we can communicate ahead of time to minimise disruption, but a lot of it is emergency work where, without immediate intervention, roads and property could be damaged, causing far more disturbance to the general public.”

Excavation up to 600mm

THIS is what the full-depth rebuild of the Spur Road looks like.

Bournemouth Echo:

Dorset County Council says that where the carriageway is being widened the excavation will be up to 600mm and where reconstruction of the existing carriageway is taking place it will be on average 310mm.

There are 15 sub-contractors working on site and a fleet of 20-tonne excavators are operating on the carriageway, alongside a planer, which takes up the existing road surface.

DCC said that, since the contraflow started on September 21, there have been 23 breakdowns recovered not involving road traffic collisions. There have been 27 breakdowns recovered including road traffic collisions.

Projects completed, ongoing and planned since the Spur Road rebuild began in September

Alder Road, Poole – British Telecom

Stony Lane, Christchurch – Bournemouth Water

Ham Lane, Longham – Gas

A347 Parley – Dorset County Council

A348 Ringwood Road – Fulcrum Pipelines Limited (overnight works)

Albert Road, Bournemouth – Bournemouth Water

Wick Lane, Christchurch – utility connections

A31 Bere Regis – Highways England, drainage works (closed overnight)

Chapel Gate – Preparatory work on verges

Other minor roads, including, but not limited to, Southbourne Grove, Wimborne Road and Richmond Wood Road.