Just in time for the holiday season.

http://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/10242948._No_go__for_motorists_in_May_as_parts_of_A35_are_set_for_closure/?ref=mr

 Sections of A35 are set for closure in May

David Groves from Connect will be in charge of the work on the A35

  
Road closures between Bridport and Honiton over ten days in May. It seems that many road closures and endless miles of traffic cones on each side of the workings, are always commenced during the holiday season. I know that there are valid reasons (?) why this particular work is scheduled for May (putting down a specialist surface that cannot be laid in moist conditions), but the chaos of diversions and hold ups is something many tourists, commuters and local residents are forced to endure in countless areas all over the country in the spring and summer months every year.

Miles and miles of cones.

 

How often have vehicles crawled for miles past the "Lane ahead closed" markings only to find when reaching the single file section, that there are a few miles of traffic cones marking the works area. No people or machinery, just miles of cones. Occasionally, drivers will pass a collection of rather bored looking workers, supporting picks or shovels with their left hands and a "door stop" sandwich with the other. (A little unfair perhaps, but if you have been sitting in traffic for a couple of hours, you will tend to spot these little details). The sight of road working machinery is something of a novelty and will sometimes result in some "rubber necking" and the resultant minor accident causing even more chaos.

We are advised that in this partial closure of the A35 will be complete for certain hours and a 67 mile detour for lorries and a 31 mile detour for lighter traffic will be in place for the duration, increasing journey times by at least one hour. These diversions will, of course be onto roads already taking substantial volumes of traffic the A37, A3088, A303 and the A30 are routes to many areas in the west country popular, with holiday makers and May is usually the start of the "season". (Other additional local diversions will be well sign posted !)     In this particular instance, I hope that the planners have taken into consideration that in May, in Dorset, it has been known to rain, and consequently their ten days has every probability of extending into something well beyond the original estimate.