Poole road closure from today 'is going to be a nightmare'

Blandford Road will be closed in both directions between Rigler Road and Ashmore Avenue due to mains cable works by Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN), from today until Saturday, July 24.

The closure means there will be no direct access between Poole town centre and Hamworthy across either the Twin Sails Bridge or Poole Lifting Bridge.

There will a further one-way closure between Blandford Close and Tucker’s Lane from Monday, July 26, to Friday, August 20, with north west access towards Upton only.

• Read more: Weeks of works to take place with six-mile diversion for motorists

Hamworthy ward councillor Daniel Butt said: “I know it is going to be nightmare but we just have to let them do their work.

“Hopefully they do it as quickly as they can. They might do it more quickly than three weeks.

“They are going to try their best. At the end of the day it is their project.”

Cllr Daniel Butt

Cllr Butt said pedestrians will still have access and engineers will do their best to allow emergency service vehicles to use the road.

He added: “It is SSEN who are doing the management of the work.

“Letters were sent to all the residents although these were addressed to the occupier and most people throw those in the bin.

“At the end of the day it is emergency work which needs to be done. The rest of the works are on minor roads.”

The diversion route motorists face will see them travel on the B3068 Blandford Road North, A35/A350 Upton Bypass/Dorset Way, A350 Holes Bay Road, A350 Rigler Road, Twin Sails and the Old Poole Lifting Bridge and vice versa.

Morebus has released a revision to their services online with numbers 8/9, 60 and 448 being affected during the closure.

The works are part of SSEN’s £3.7 million network upgrade between Poole and Wareham.

SSEN said the upgrade works began in April and will benefit more than 19,000 Poole residents.

The overall project will run for eight months to enable the upgrade of 2.5 kilometers of underground cable; new sections of modern, robust cable will replace the existing oil filled cable which is reaching the end of its working life, allowing for a stronger network with capacity for future commercial and residential connections.

SSEN works will later move to Rockley Road, Goliath Road and then terminate at Hams Common Substation in Hercules Road.

The electrical company has issued an assurance online to customers that there are no Planned Service Interruptions (PSI) for the duration of these works, keeping the power flowing and supporting those who are at home or providing essential services during the current coronavirus restrictions.

Ian Daniels, the project manager for SSEN, said: “I am delighted to be a part of this project which demonstrates SSEN’s commitment to providing its customers in Poole with an efficient electricity network fit for their needs now and into the future; helping them meet their net zero goals.

“I would like to reassure customers in the vicinity of these works that, as considerate constructors, my team and I will do all we can to minimise the potential for any noise and disruption.”

For additional information visit the SSEN and More Bus websites.