Dorset Highways works closely with council ecologists and the Environment Agency on a regular basis to ensure road repairs support Dorset’s diverse wildlife.
In Winterborne Stickland, work is about to start to strengthen the road edge of Water Lane/West Street – with the design of the reconstruction taking into account the local water vole population.
The narrow rural road has a historical issue of the verge falling into the river due to the erosion of the bank over time. The verge is further pushed into the river by vehicles using the grassy edge to pass each other.
Usually, steel gabions or sheet piles would be used to support the road embankment but, to help support the water vole habitat, Dorset Highways will be using a modified recycled material called Cement Bound Granular Macadam (CBGM).
The CBGM will significantly stiffen the edge of the road, which has no formal road foundations to prevent the road edge being pushed into the river by traffic.
To further ensure the protection of the water vole habitat, work will only be carried out in 50m sections over several years. A historic plastic sheet, previously used to prevent the undermining of the verge, will also be removed from the area.
Cllr Ray Bryan, Portfolio Holder for Highways, Travel and Environment, said: “Dorset’s natural environment is home to a multitude of wildlife, many of which are protected.
“Not only do we have a great track record of recycling materials back into our surfacing works, we also actively support the natural environment when designing our highway improvement schemes.”
Improvements will also be made to clearly mark out the official passing places along the narrow road and marker posts will be put on the verge following the works, to prevent vehicles from damaging the verge in the future.
The first phase of work will start on Monday 14 June with the road closed to vehicles, 24 hours-a-day, for one week, while the first 50m of collapsed verge is rebuilt and the road edge reconstructed with a cement-based foundation.
