Major road to close for a MONTH in just days as drivers forced to take 30-mile diversion – check your route
A MAJOR road is set to close for a month with drivers being forced to make a 30-mile diversion.
The diversion is being put in place due to the need to tackle urgent gas leaks on the A350 in Dorset.
Gas company SGN is due to begin work replacing a main pipe on the road on November 18.
The diversion is expected to be in place until December 16.
There will be no through access in either direction for vehicles on the road past Sturminster Marshall.
SGN has issued an apology for the inconvenienced and said a signed diversion route will be in place.
It added that the length of the road closure was due to the complexity of the engineering work that was required as the gas main crossed the centre of the road.
The company said that large machinery would be needed on the site.
The A350 will be shut from the A31 at the Roundhouse roundabout to the northern side of the crossroads with Dullar Lane and Station Road.
SGN added bus routes in the area will be maintained, as well as access for pedestrians and cyclists.
It said the improvements will help reduce the risk of gas leaks in the future.
The lengthy diversion comes after a major road in Cambridgeshire was shut earlier this month for four weeks after scheduled repairs were moved forward.
Works have begun to fix damage caused by a roadside bank collapsing, with a full closure and a diversion route put in place.
A lane on the B1040 at East Delph, near Whittlesey, Cambridgeshire, will be closed to traffic until November 22.
Elsewhere, a much-loved car dealership has announced it will close three of its sites as it relocates to a new “three-in-one” outlet.
The firm has been supplying Brits with models from iconic brands including Ferrari, Porsche and Mini for nearly six decades.