A30 Kitt Hill and Cornhill in Sherborne will remain closed following damage to a wall.
Specialist structurally designed supporting scaffolding has now been erected in the westbound carriageway to support a damaged wall. Only 2.4m width of road width is left unobstructed, which is not enough space for vehicles to safely pass the scaffold.
We’ll only be able to reopen the road at this location if the propping can be reduced or when the repair has been completed.
This closure could be in place for quite some time as the property owner will need to carry out conversations with their insurers before being able to instruct surveyors and other contractors to make the repair.
Our priority is keeping road users safe.
The signed diversion route remains in place, this has to be on the same classification of road as the one closed, so is signed A30 – A352 – A3030 – A357 – A30. Local drivers may wish to choose a shorter, alternative route, however, please ensure it is suitable for your vehicle.
The road has been closed since Thursday 10 February.
Hi,
Can we have a road sign on the A30 to show Acreman St. is still open for business as usual?
Thank you
There is a sign approaching Sherborne from Yeovil that all businesses are open.
There were NO diversion signs redirecting traffic back to A30 – as a stranger meant navigation via Sturminster Newton. May be ok for locals but not those from outside the area!
No comment from radio Dorset despite being advised mike
Still closed a month later. This closure also seems to have escaped the notice of national traffic and travel reporting websites.
This is on the main A30 route between Sherborne and Yeovil. So it impacts lot of traffic. The alternate route is (IMHO) very poorly signposted. I took a bus between Milborne Port and Yeovil last week, and I feel quite bad for the poor bus drivers who have to navigate some very sharp bends on the diversion. It’s also pushing commuting traffic onto narrow Sherborne streets.
I feel bad for the homeowner, but I don’t really understand why traffic on a main arterial route needs to wait until some faceless private insurance company gets around to making some sort of decision. It’s one thing to wait while roadworks and repairs are actually being performed. It’s another thing entirely to wait for private company paper shufflers to do their thing.
It’s the usual nanny state bureaucratic, buck-passing incompetence that seems to be an accepted norm in this country.
Hi Andrew and Paul, we’ve closed the road as the professional scaffolding that has been erected doesn’t leave sufficient room for a large vehicle to safely pass. The last thing we want is for another vehicle to clip this structure – putting all road users at risk, causing further damage to private property and potentially putting back any repair schedule.
This is no answer. My comments still apply. It reminds me of a time about 20 years ago when a sink hole appeared on the A2 in Greenwich at the top of Blackheath Hill blocking both lanes, in and out of London. For almost 2 years the pen-pushers at Transport for London, Greenwich Council and the Highways Agency passed the buck between them while bleating on about safety concerns. Meanwhile not just Blackheath Village but the whole of SE London was gridlocked with traffic before they could agree who should repair the hole.
Paul – “We had to close the A30 for safety reasons after a wall was damaged. The scaffold used to support the wall is the minimum that is required, but this still only leaves 2.4m width of road unobstructed. This is not enough space to allow for vehicles to safely pass the scaffold.
“The matter of repairing the wall is the private business of the landowner. It will need specialist contractors and structural engineers.
“We know the closure of the road is having a significant effect on residents and businesses, we’re working with the property owner and their structural engineers to help reopen the road as soon as possible.” Fiona
Presumably the Council has a statutory duty to keep the highway open? To allow a major road like the A30 to remain closed for this length of time is quite frankly a disgrace. Does the Council have no compulsory powers to expedite the necessary work? The volume of traffic using narrow and unsuitable alternative routes through the town is frankly unacceptable. Rather than blaming third parties for the delay, when is the Council going to wake up and get this fixed?
Iain – “We had to close the A30 for safety reasons after a wall was damaged. The scaffold used to support the wall is the minimum that is required, but this still only leaves 2.4m width of road unobstructed. This is not enough space to allow for vehicles to safely pass the scaffold.
“The matter of repairing the wall is the private business of the landowner. It will need specialist contractors and structural engineers.
“We know the closure of the road is having a significant effect on residents and businesses, we’re working with the property owner and their structural engineers to help reopen the road as soon as possible.” Fiona
I see Chris Loder, the MP for West Dorset, has started a petition regarding this closure.
A few issues that I feel need to be addressed:
1) Is there any plan on improving the roadway in the affected area to make it less likely for future collisions to occur? The existing roadway is extremely narrow, making it hazardous when passing large buses, HGVs, and tractors. All of which quite regularly use this roadway. Going back to the status quo ante seems shortsighted.
2) If there are no plans to improve the roadway, then it would seem that the closure is caused entirely by the time necessary to repair the wall on a private house. Do the Council and other Govt. bodies not have the legal power to force the expedited completion of this work?
3) I would urge the Council and other bodies to take action to mitigate the “knock on” effects caused by the closure. For instance, a portion of the posted diversion to the south of Sherborne follows New Road past Purlieu Meadows. People using this area for dog walking and other activities park their cars on the west side of the road, essentially turning it into a single lane. Vehicles travelling northwards have to wait until those in the opposite direction have passed. This, in turn, leads to extensive backups, at times past the entrance to Sherborne Castle. Could the council not temporarily ban parking on this section of roadway? Or alternately install traffic control lights to better manage the traffic flow?
4) Further on the diversion, the intersection between the A352 and the B3145 to the southwest of Sherborne (south of the Recycling centre) is difficult and dangerous at the best of times. Given the additional traffic load caused by the diversion, surely temporary traffic lights would help minimise the risk to motorists on these roads.
5) I would reiterate my earlier observation that the signposting on the diversion is confusing at best. Motorists and HGV drivers unfamiliar with the area are given unclear instructions as to where they should leave and re-enter the A30. IMHO the signs should clearly state that those headed towards Yeovil should exit the A30 onto the B3145 just west of Oborne. And that drivers headed east towards Milborne Port and Shaftesbury should leave the A30 at the traffic light and south onto the A352. These steps, IMHO, would do a lot to prevent excess traffic on Sherborne residential streets.
The economic and social costs of this closure are high, and will continue to mount. We all want safe and efficient highways while maintaining our architectural and cultural heritage. But this seems to be a problem that is taking way too long to resolve.
It is time the council called a public meeting to hear of the implications of their “temporary” diversions and how it might be made better for road users and residents alike.
If this is going to be a long running problem then some fundamental changes need to be made to parking in certain roads so as to free up the flow.
Neil – “We had to close the A30 for safety reasons after a wall was damaged. The scaffold used to support the wall is the minimum that is required, but this still only leaves 2.4m width of road unobstructed. This is not enough space to allow for vehicles to safely pass the scaffold.
“The matter of repairing the wall is the private business of the landowner. It will need specialist contractors and structural engineers.
“We know the closure of the road is having a significant effect on residents and businesses, we’re working with the property owner and their structural engineers to help reopen the road as soon as possible.” Fiona
An update on this situation would be appreciated.
So why not open Cornhill.
That would put traffic back to normal for everything but large lorries.
Heaven forbid you get things moving again.
May I ask a direct question: Did Dorset Council instruct the scaffolding to be erected and is the Council paying for the scaffolding?
Hi EMSherbs, the scaffolding was erected to prevent further instability and ensure public safety. This was on the instruction of the council under emergency measures for building safety, following consultation with specialist structural engineers. The costs for this will be recovered from the homeowner.
Why not use your emergency powers to repair the damaged wall then recover the cost from the appropriate party?
Inspired by John Moriarty’s post I have to say that during my career as a civil engineer, I have dealt with a similar situation;
we executed emergency repairs at public expense and well beyond the means of the property owner and took out a restraint that the public purse would be recompensed if the property was ever sold; the highway was reopened promptly.
In my view, an emergency reinforcement should be executed at Kitts Hill immediately, using steel mesh and sprayed concrete – ugly from a conservationist’s point of view but sound and long term temporary, and enabling the highway to be reopened as soon as possible.