Twelve rural roads are being reconstructed this autumn thanks to the Department for Transport’s Pothole Fund.
Dorset Highways has identified roads that have evolved from tracks and have very little construction, and have significant cracking, undulation or pothole damage, for permanent repair.
This programme of work will use in-situ recycling to strengthen the foundation of the road before a double surface dressing is applied to seal the roads from water damage and provide a textured surface for vehicles.
Jack Wiltshire, Dorset Council Head of Highways, said: “These roads have become so damaged they require extensive repairs to ensure that homes and businesses can continue to be safely accessed.
“They have little to no foundation, and under the road surface is essentially the gravel track they have evolved from over many years.
“Our contractor will use a specialised machine to simultaneously crush the existing carriageway and mix it with cement to create a hydraulically bound material for the road foundation.
“This process is around a third of the cost of a conventional carriageway reconstruction method and is also a more sustainable treatment – by reusing material already in place and producing zero waste from the site.”
He added: “Without the money we’ve been awarded from the DfT’s Pothole Fund we would have to continue with costly reactive, piecemeal, short-term repairs on these roads, which isn’t good enough.”
Due to the large machinery and the nature of the work, and for the safety of all road users, the roads will need to be closed while in-situ recycling and surfacing takes place.
Access will be maintained to properties and businesses as best as possible but this may mean a short wait while equipment is moved, or the use of an alternative access point onto the road.
These works are being carried out by Colas Ltd on behalf of Dorset Council. Roads will have some restricted access during the three working days prior to in-situ recycling for preparation works to be completed.
Due to bad weather, programmed dates have changed. Some sites have had their road permits extended to allow work to be complete within the new timescale. Others have had new dates scheduled.
In-situ recycling sites – updated 30 September
Whitfield Farm Lane, Knighton – main works complete
Watery Lane, Tincleton – main works complete
Bonscombe Lane, Shipton Gorge – main works complete
Eggardon Lane, Powerstock – delayed due to weather
28 to 30 September
the road permit for this work has been extended to 8 October
Langdon Lane, Beaminster – delayed due to weather
POSTPONED TO 2022
Pilsdon Lane, Pilsdon – delayed due to weather
POSTPONED TO 2022
Slodbrook Lane, Milton-on-Stour – delayed due to weather
5 to 7 October
the road permit for this work has been extended to 20 October
Haines Lane, Marnhull
POSTPONED TO 2022
Triangle Farm Road (Tulks Lane), Stalbridge
19 to 21 October
Holebrook Lane, Lydlinch
POSTPONED TO 2022
Bodsmarsh Lane, Marnhull – new dates
26, 27 & 28 October
Moorside, Marnhull – new dates
28 October to 1 November
The DfT Pothole Fund provides additional funding for highways authorities to carry out permanent repairs and prevent potholes from forming.
Whilst this is welcome please can you tell me what the long term plan is for stopping HGVs from using C13 through Melbury Abbas?
Please update me on the opportunities to have a bypass and make this part of Dorset safer and more accessible
Hi Julie, I’ve received the following reply from our Transport Planning Team:
Dorset Council recognises that the road network between Shaftesbury and Blandford is substandard for strategic HGV traffic, however there is no easy solution within our existing resources. Therefore we, along with our partners in the Western Gateway Subnational Transport Body, lobbied for additional Government investment to improve the route or provide an alternative for HGVs and other strategic traffic travelling between the M4 and the Dorset Coast.
As announced in the Roads Investment Strategy 2020-2025 (RIS2), National Highways (formerly Highways England) has recently begun an M4 to Dorset Coast Connectivity Study, and we expect the report by the end of 2022. The Government will then make a decision on whether one of these options will be delivered within the next Road Investment Strategy (RIS3) which will be published in 2025.
And not one single resurfacing job allocated to the Isle of Purbeck. Do any at Dorset Council ever drive our roads. Even the recent pothole repairs in Bon Accord Road leave an uneven surface when you drive over it.
Hi David, this is one small programme of work currently being carried out. You can find all planned work on the highway (by all parties) using our online map: https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/travel/travel-dorset/roadworks-road-closures
From a quick look, I can see patching work scheduled in Langton Matravers and Corfe Castle and surfacing work planned in Swanage.
If the standard of work carried out in Moreton Road, Crossways and the half-hearted effort carried out in Redbridge Lane, Crossways is anything to go by then I suggest that we all receive a council tax refund. A pitiful state of affairs on these particular roads. Please do better!
Were Crack Lane and Three Acre Lane in Langton Matravers considered for this work?
Hi Ian, they weren’t considered for this work (insitu recycling) but they are both scheduled for patch repairs this week and will be surface dressed in the near future. This treatment will have been selected by our engineers based on the type of damage evidenced in the road.
I’d like to nominate Commonmead Lane in Gillingham between the Thorngrove entrance (GR: ST 797 258) and the railway viaduct (GR: ST 794 254) for the next “round”. Of course, you’ll probably need that sort of budget/funding because the road needs a proper culvert to deal with the water that causes most of the damage.
Hi Richard, thanks for your comment, I’ve passed it on to our asset team. I can see from our internal mapping system that we’re aware of the damage in this section but it doesn’t look like it’s been scheduled for design and repair yet.
Good to hear something is being done.
However you’ve seemed to forgotten Hazel Lane , Puncknowle – its really in a bad way
Hi Ron, thanks for your comment, I’ve passed it on to our asset team. You can report road damage using our online form: https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/w/report-a-problem-on-the-road-or-pavement
Have you ever heard of Ferndown?
Awful pot holes, no road markings ,roads & pavements never swept.
Whole area is ignored year after year & council tax the second highest in the UK
Fine cyclists for not using the wide paths they now have to the detrement of drivers
Hi Susie, we use annual road inspections and surveys to assess road condition across the whole council area. This helps us grade each road based on the type of damage evidenced (cracking, potholes, patching & subsidence) so that our programmes of work can prioritise the roads most in need of repair.
If you have a specific location of damage, you can report this using our online form: https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/roads-highways-maintenance/report-a-problem-on-the-road-or-pavement.aspx This will be passed on to the local community highway officer who will assess it for repair.
You can also use our online roadworks map to see all the planned work in your area for the next twelve months: https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/travel/travel-dorset/roadworks-road-closures