ANGRY residents living near the A31 roadworks say they are “fighting” for a noise barrier to be installed, while the highway authority says this is “not possible”.

The major A31 roadworks at Ringwood are having a “serious” impact according to residents living just off the road, with noise pollution rapidly becoming a point of contention between those living and working in the area.

West Street resident Richard Hartley lives less than 50 metres from the A31 and is leading a charge to install an acoustic barrier along a section of the road – which he says was promised to residents at a public consultation meeting in 2018.

He told the Echo: “At that consultation I asked three questions: would the speed limit be reduced to 50mph? Would the new road surfacing reduce noise? And would acoustic barriers be installed? I was told yes to all those questions. Over time it has become apparent that none of those are going to happen.

Bournemouth Echo: A31 as seen from the property of Ringwood resident Richard HartleyA31 as seen from the property of Ringwood resident Richard Hartley

“The continuing noise pollution from the A31 will only increase with the completion of the roadworks so I am challenging National Highways on this.

“The response has been very good. The biggest point people make is the visual impact of an acoustic barrier but as I point out, for motorists this isn’t an issue because they should be focusing on the road and for residents, I ask would you rather have noisy road full of traffic or a barrier helping with that? It’s a bit of a no brainer to me.”

According to National Highways, the environmental impact of the roadworks regarding noise has been classed as “negligible”.

National Highways’ A31 project manager, Daniel Kittredge, said: “We are committed to reducing the impact of road noise along this stretch of carriageway, and we thank residents for bearing with us while we complete this vital upgrade.

“We are aware of some concerns about the traffic noise, and I can confirm that the westbound A31 carriageway between the Ringwood flyover and Verwood junction will be resurfaced using the latest road surface materials which will to help reduce road noise.

“It is not possible for us to install acoustic barriers as there are significant environmental and engineering considerations that need to be taken into account.

Bournemouth Echo: Example of a noise barrier on the M1 near Wakefield. Picture: Highways EnglandExample of a noise barrier on the M1 near Wakefield. Picture: Highways England

“National Highways are of course happy to work with local people to try and resolve the issue of noise further.”

It is also understood the cost of barrier installation alone would be in excess of £500 per linear metre, not including feasibility costs, design, land, planning and legal costs.

For Richard, however, this remains “disappointing”. The 74-year-old former airline pilot believes the decision is cost driven and would not impact the environment any more than the current roadworks are.

He concluded: “An acoustic barrier is worth fighting for. We’ve got to pick the battles we think we can win, and I think this would improve the overall environment in Ringwood.”

The request for an acoustic barrier has been passed to the National Highways Operations team who will investigate the requirement and possibility of implementation.

When complete, the A31 will revert back to the national speed limit of 70mph.