A KEY road through the New Forest remains closed as part of a multi-million-pound project despite assurances it would reopen in April.
The C10 Station Road under the new Holmsley bridge on the A35 has been closed for several months and its reopening has been delayed again, this time due another batch of bird eggs as well as drainage issues.
As reported, the road was due to reopen in mid-April but this was delayed due to the presence of recently hatched chicks nesting beneath a bridge support. Provisions of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 require the nest to remain undisturbed until the chicks leave.
In an update provided to the Echo, Hampshire County Council said the birds are still nesting, and currently nursing a second clutch of eggs.
- Read more: A35 at Holmsley reopens after closure
While crews wait for the birds to move on, contractors Knight Brown carried out repairs to a damaged surface water drainage pipe on Station Road.
On the A35, the temporary two-way traffic signals have now been moved to enable the installation of new safety barriers and to allow Vodafone to finish diverting their services.
Councillor Nick Adams-King, Hampshire County Council’s executive member for highways operations, said: “I can confirm that Station Road, under the new bridge, remains closed.
“The birds are still nesting, and currently nursing a second clutch of eggs. This means we are unable still to remove the temporary works. The provisions of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 are strict and require the nest to remain undisturbed until the chicks leave.
“I’d like to reassure everyone that we will open the road as soon as possible, after the birds have left the nest. In the meantime, repairs to a damaged surface water drainage pipe on Station Road have been successfully completed. The Old Station Tea Rooms remain open for business as usual and the existing signed diversion route for Station Road continues to be in operation.”
- Read more: Tea rooms owner praises A35 communications
Localised traffic management will be needed on both the A35 and Station Road for various construction activities until the end of June when both the bridge and highway improvement works are scheduled to be fully completed.
The 40mph temporary speed limit will remain in place on the A35 until then.
The £5.5 million scheme has seen the 113-year-old Holmsley bridge replaced and realigned approximately 380 metres of the A35.
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