Race to build new link road in time for Twin Sails Bridge opening

If work does not start by July on the Marston Road/Bay Hog Gyratory scheme, it will not be completed when the second harbour crossing opens next year.

Having now put together £930,000 funding, Borough of Poole needs the green light at full council on June 21 to get the scheme underway in early July.

If it is not built in conjunction with the Twin Sails, the council will have to fork out another £200,000 to re-shape the junction of the bridge with West Quay Road.

But to make the roads two-way will need another £2m and that could be five years away or more.

The main features of the scheme, whose provisional budget was £1.2m, are for West Quay Road from Bay Hog Lane to the Marston link to be one-way northbound and for West Street from New Orchard to Bay Hog Lane to be one-way southbound.

The one-way flow on Bay Hog Lane will be reversed so that traffic will flow towards the new Twin Sails Bridge and as traffic comes off it into the town, it will only be able to turn left.

The new link between West Quay Road and West Street, Marston Road, will be one-way towards West Street.

Funding for the scheme has been put together from developer contributions including £434,000 from Asda, the Local Transport Plan and the Highways Investment programme.

“The Marston/Bay Hog Gyratory scheme is an important element of the Poole Bridge Regeneration Initiative which provides the transport network for the regeneration area,” said Julian McLaughlin, head of transportation at the Borough of Poole.

“The benefits of the works include a significant improvement to the transport network on the town centre side as well as providing new and improved pedestrian and cycle facilities over what exists at present.

“We hope to receive approval to proceed on June 21 as this early delivery of the proposed scheme would save approximately £200,000 on the overall cost of the transport provision compar-ed to later implementation.”