Stretch of the A35 to close for 3 months

The are covered by the closure, which begins tomorrow, is between the St Michael and All Angels Church at Hinton and the Vinney Ridge Inclosure junction – south of the Rhinefield Ornamental Drive.

Commenting on the roadworks, a spokesperson for Knights Brown said:

“We were now some weeks behind schedule and continuing with the original delivery approach would have meant we’d not complete the works before the summer, which is a critical factor not just for Hampshire County Council but local businesses and the community. So, our site team took a fresh look at what needed to be done and by revisiting our methodology were able to adjust the programme to deliver the works on schedule. This new approach, which had to be signed off by the highways authorities, means the A35 will be closed from January 4 until April 8.”

HGVs will be diverted onto the A31, A338 Spur Road, Castle Lane East and Barrack Road, or a 29-mile route along the A326, B3054 and along the A337 to Christchurch.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Hampshire County Council added: :

“For the safety of the site team, and of course road users, the A35 will need to be temporarily closed for a longer period than originally planned in order to facilitate the safe tie-in of the new road alignment over the new bridge to the original road at each end. The aim remains to minimise any inconvenience to local residents and businesses and ensure the road is open again for the busier summer period.”