First roundabout opens

 

On Thursday 10 March traffic using Littlemoor Road will start to use the Bincombe Bumps Roundabout.

Drivers coming from Dorchester Road will pass over Littlemoor bridge and then go straight onto the new roundabout and take the third exit (right) back onto Littlemoor Road.

Also, from 12.30pm on Thursday, Icen Lane will be closed at the point where the relief road crosses it.

Vehicles and pedestrians coming from Bincombe or wanting to access Icen Farm from Dorchester Road will be directed to use Bincombe Bumps Roundabout and the new Icen Lane link road.

Temporary three-way traffic signals will still be in use at the east exit from the roundabout until the road tie-in work is complete.

Although the aerial image above is from January this year, it should give a good idea of how the road layout will change on Thursday.

Littlemoor Road connection

Work has started this week on linking the new Bincombe Bumps Roundabout into Littlemoor Road. 

This section of the road will have a 40mph speed limit, and it is important that the visibility on the new link and for traffic turning out of Turnstone Close is good.

The entrance to Turnstone Close is currently in a small dip, so work is now starting to raise the level of Littlemoor Road in this area.

The work is being carried out in three stages:

Weekend work

Extended working hours have been granted for work in the Littlemoor area between 9am and 4pm on the following days:

• Saturday 8 January & Sunday 9 January
• Saturday 15 January & Sunday 16 January

Vehicles will be working between Icen Lane and Littlemoor bridge.

This weekend work is needed due to the delays caused by the extreme weather conditions in December.

Final surface

Work will begin next week to lay the final road surface on the road between Ridgeway to Icen Lane. Although this covers nearly two miles and three lanes, our contractors, Hanson are confident this work will take just over a week to complete, weather permitting.

September focus

This month the focus in the south of the scheme is to complete chalk stabilisation (which forms the base of the road) and start surfacing.

Work will also continue on drainage for the links between the relief road, Manor Roundabout and Mercery Road. 

On Lodmoor, the drainage basin and most of the final top-soiling will be finished and the foundation layers of the new park and ride will continue to be laid. 

In the north section tarmac has now been placed from the Ridgeway to Icen Lane, and work is continuning to complete all the kerbs and road drainage. 

Surfacing of footpaths and bridleways in this area will be almost complete by the end of the month. 

For Littlemoor Road and the area by the Littlemoor roundabouts work will be focussed on completing the drainage.

Surfacing latest

The first layers of tarmac for the Relief Road have been laid from the Ridgeway south towards Icen Lane – here you can see the section underneath Chapel Lane bridge heading north.

Chapel Lane bridge is also currently being surfaced, and there are only a couple of weeks of work remaining to put in kerbing and drainage before this bridleway can be reopened.

The Littlemoor connection

The new Littlemoor balancing ponds and roundabouts are mostly formed now, with all the bulk earthmoving in the area complete. There is still some ‘trim’ works to do, which is the final shaping of the earthworks and placing of topsoil.

Work will now start in the Icen Lane area to connect the north and south sections of the road together and link Littlemoor Road to the relief road.

A small section of temporary diversion road for Icen Lane will be in place while drainage work is done, and ultimately access to Bincombe will be off one of the new roundabouts. You can see how it will all fit together in the drawing above.

Drainage works

Chalk surfacing as part of the base of the road has reached Icen Lane, where extensive drainage works are also underway.

Drainage for the farm fields in the area is being put in place, and just north of Littlemoor the final earth excavation is ongoing to create balancing ponds.  These will capture water from the road surface, using reeds and other planting to settle out any sediment before the water enters the Broadwey stream.