A31 Dorset: Ignored/Forgotten/Ringwood Improvements

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sotonsteve
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Re: A31 Dorset - Ignored and Forgotten?

Post by sotonsteve »

A link between the A31 and Wessex Way has been considered in the past, and certainly still makes sense as it would relieve congested parallel A-roads from Merley to the east and Ferndown to the west accessing Poole from the A31 in one foul swoop. Let's remember that aside from Poole being a large population centre in itself, it is considered to be strategically important because it has a channel port.

Hence, a dual carriageway from the end of the dualled section of the A31, passing Canford Bottom and onto join with the Wessex Way, and then dualling of the remainder of the A35 west of Poole would actually be quite a clever option. It would be a more long-winded route for through traffic on the A31/A35, which would be offset if the new dualling were 70mph roads, but for local journeys to and from Poole it would be a godsend.
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Brenley Corner
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Re: A31 Dorset - Ignored and Forgotten?

Post by Brenley Corner »

Did you mean the Wessex Way (A338) or do you mean the Dorset Way - which would make more sense?
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SteveA30
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Re: A31 Dorset - Ignored and Forgotten?

Post by SteveA30 »

Plans for that existed. It's called the Ringwood Rd Relief Road, using exactly the route described. The Mannings Heath rbt would need GSing and, a w/bnd flyover at the next rbt. The rush hour flow blocks off the traffic on Dorset Way there. Foreign lorries face a confusing convoluted route to the docks, via A31/A349, 5 sets of lights around a dogleg to A350.
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Re: A31 Dorset - Ignored and Forgotten?

Post by Richardf »

SteveA30 wrote:Plans for that existed. It's called the Ringwood Rd Relief Road, using exactly the route described. The Mannings Heath rbt would need GSing and, a w/bnd flyover at the next rbt. The rush hour flow blocks off the traffic on Dorset Way there. Foreign lorries face a confusing convoluted route to the docks, via A31/A349, 5 sets of lights around a dogleg to A350.
Which is why i have thought a new route further west would be better. The Poole A31 Link road plans would really only have benefitted local traffic, port traffic and long distance traffic would not havre seen much advantage or gain from a route which takes traffic halfway into Poole and out again.

There was an earlier link road plan than the one you mention. The Dualing of the A348 Ringwood Road between Longham and Walisdown i beleive was part of a plan to link Poole and Ferndown with Dual carriageway. Of course it never got beyond Bear Cross and would have been bypassed by later plans.
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sotonsteve
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Re: A31 Dorset - Ignored and Forgotten?

Post by sotonsteve »

Sorry, I meant Dorset Way.
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Re: A31 Dorset - Ignored and Forgotten?

Post by BOH »

I live in the Bournemouth / Poole area and have always thought a largely on-line dualling of the A349 (Gravel Hill) from Poole out to the A31 at Merley would be a low cost and relatively easy solution.

That improvement coupled with dualling of the A31 Wimborne / Ferndown bypasses and GSJ at Canford Bottom would go a long way to solving some local traffic issues. Of course there is the issue at Merley to consider where the A349 goes through the old village and that would have to go off-line.

But it could be a solution....
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Re: A31 Dorset - Ignored and Forgotten?

Post by dorsetlover »

Proof it needs upgrading is that holiday traffic is awful the other day a car overturned on the narrow section of road by the garage with little chef. Also on A35 just after Winterbourne Abbas the road is very narrow and people have had lots of crashes on that road and the land next to it has been disturbed so maybe that might get upgraded and linked to the D2 heading up the hill.
Why not?
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Re: A31 Dorset - Ignored and Forgotten?

Post by Nicholas »

BOH wrote:I live in the Bournemouth / Poole area and have always thought a largely on-line dualling of the A349 (Gravel Hill) from Poole out to the A31 at Merley would be a low cost and relatively easy solution.

That improvement coupled with dualling of the A31 Wimborne / Ferndown bypasses and GSJ at Canford Bottom would go a long way to solving some local traffic issues. Of course there is the issue at Merley to consider where the A349 goes through the old village and that would have to go off-line.

But it could be a solution....
A good idea, as much of the road is NSL already. But I think there could be some ground stabilisation issues. We're already going to have a closure in place for nearly a year from June to sort out these problems with the exisiting road.

Fleetsbridge would need sorting out though to better tie in with Holes Bay Road.
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Re: A31 Dorset - Ignored and Forgotten?

Post by Richardf »

Is the route of the old railway line between Poole and Wimborne a viable option for a link road. Part of it has already been made into road through Broadstone and the rest almost parallels the A349 up to the A31. it also directly links to Holes Bay Road, bypassing Fleetsbridge.
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Re: A31 Dorset - Ignored and Forgotten?

Post by Nicholas »

Richardf wrote:Is the route of the old railway line between Poole and Wimborne a viable option for a link road. Part of it has already been made into road through Broadstone and the rest almost parallels the A349 up to the A31. it also directly links to Holes Bay Road, bypassing Fleetsbridge.
Only earlier this week did I see a document online that actually suggested this as a possible option. Cannot find it though as it was on my phone!
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Re: A31 Dorset - Ignored and Forgotten?

Post by Richardf »

Had a closer look at the old railway route on google earth. it appears that even if this route were an option in the past it cannot be now as part of it has been built over, just north of the top end of the Broadstone relief road.

How terribly short sighted!
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Re: A31 Dorset - Ignored and Forgotten?

Post by Nicholas »

Richardf wrote:Had a closer look at the old railway route on google earth. it appears that even if this route were an option in the past it cannot be now as part of it has been built over, just north of the top end of the Broadstone relief road.

How terribly short sighted!
It might be one of those keep in mind for when the building is no longer fit for purpose. As it is a sports centre with associated car park and outdoor areas, it might just be feasible in the long term.
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jackal
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Re: A31 Dorset - Ignored and Forgotten?

Post by jackal »

Some localized widening at Ringwood is in the works. It's a bit vague but I think it probably means widening to three lanes westbound only, as it is already four lanes eastbound.

http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/road-p ... d-Widening
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Re: A31 Dorset - Ignored and Forgotten?

Post by RichardA35 »

Yes from Waitrose to the junction just past the petrol station. It should ease the merge and weaving in this part which appears to be the key restraint to flow every time I go through in the peak.

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Re: A31 Dorset - Ignored and Forgotten?

Post by QuietInRealLife »

I have to say the the Canford Bottom ''improvements'' look like an utter mess from Google Earth & scream of 'we spent the money elsewhere'. (as most 'hamburgered' roundabouts do)
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Re: A31 Dorset - Ignored and Forgotten?

Post by Richardf »

Canford Bottom should have been a flyover for the whole roundabout with the A31 dualled either side. Since that is unlikely ever to happen (the dualling at least ) a simpler and cheaper grade separation option would be a dumbell design with 2 small roundabouts and a smaller bridge either over the A31 or carrying it. Since there is no point in a D2 bridge a nice cheap S2 or D1 like Penn Inn on the A380 would suffice.
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Re: A31 Dorset - Ignored and Forgotten?

Post by SteveA30 »

I received a reply on April 25 then, forgot that I had. So, here it is.....
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Re: A31 Dorset - Ignored and Forgotten?

Post by QuietInRealLife »

To be fair, even the dualled sections of the A31 need a bit of help. The Ringwood slip roads for example have flat zebra crossings on them. Now that isn't necessarily an issue in & of itself, the problem comes when you consider that this junction in particular is already plagued by inadequate tapers & poor sightlines. In-fact looking at google earth, the crossing coming onto the eastbound A31 is situated about half way up the slip road, meaning you haven't got long to get your speed back up before you realise the taper onto the main carriageway is virtually non-existent.
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Re: A31 Dorset - Ignored and Forgotten?

Post by mnb20 »

I don't see the problem with the zebra crossings on the slip roads. There is 170m of on-slip after the zebra crossing before the start of the merge - that should be more than enough distance for most vehicles to get up to speed, so the fact that you might have to stop before it isn't a problem. (The distance from the diverge gore to the zebra crossing on the off slip is similar, and even less problematic).

It's a potential safety issue if drivers aren't expecting it, but it is well signposted and clearly visible.
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Re: A31 Dorset - Ignored and Forgotten?

Post by jackal »

This article seems to suggest that the plan westbound at Ringwood is not to widen to three lanes. Rather, the Salisbury Rd onslip will be extended and widened as a parallel two lane link road through to the D3/D4 section at Verwood Rd. Provision of this link road is presumably required due to the substandard weaving length between Salisbury Rd and Verwood Rd, and would seemingly require property demolition.
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