A HIGHWAYS chief says that he expects drivers to adapt more quickly when the most complicated part of the Bournemouth Spur Road rebuild begins in January.

The first phase of work is coming to an end, with the road set to be returned to four lanes during the week of December 14 for the festive period.

From January 4, work will switch from the southbound to the northbound carriageway.

Dorset County Councillor Peter Finney, cabinet member for environment, told the Daily Echo: “Initially we felt there would be some disorder in traffic patterns. It took drivers a couple of weeks to settle down.

“Not all of the issues that are brought up can be attributed to the A338. A lot of it is to do with the local urban traffic, which is quite congested anyway.

“Phase two will be intrinsically more difficult, as that’s the time when the weather is going to be at its worst. We expect most problems to occur in that area in regards to construction.

“I think drivers will get into the swing of it more quickly this time, because they’re used to the situation.”

In regard to the displacement of traffic onto other routes, such as Matchams Lane, the Avon Causeway and the A347 New Road, he added: “People don’t like the increase in traffic and you can understand that, but it has to go somewhere.

“We don’t have much choice in that and people will find a route that suits them.”

Phase one of the project will have seen 26,000 tonnes of old carriageway removed, with 20,600 tonnes of foam base recycled and laid.

The new southbound carriageway is wider, with 10,000 tonnes of earth excavated to accommodate that.

Of the project so far overall, he said: “It’s running to time and it’s running on budget.

“Ecologically it’s gone fantastically; it’s the biggest project of its kind in England and in years to come it will be an exemplar for people wanting to reuse materials in the road.”

Phase two – rebuilding the northbound carriageway – begins on Monday, January 4.

There will be an overnight closure between Cooper Dean and Ashley Heath on Sunday, January 3, for traffic management to be set up.

Phase two is planned to run until February 9, before phase three – rebuilding the northernmost end of the northbound section – runs from February 9 to March 12.

Cllr Finney added: “There’s been repeated concern that we’ve not been working at night – let me reassure you, there is no way we would have completed this amount of work if we had just been working during the day.”