Travel chaos expected for Dorset roads and trains over Easter weekend
It comes as the RAC expects a "hat-trick of hold-ups" as around 2.7 million trips are planned on April 18, 19 and 20. The late bank holiday coincides with the end of many schools' Easter breaks and delays are likely - especially routes to and from the West Country through Dorset. There are of course the usual pinch points such as the A31 at Canford Bottom in the east, the A35 Puddletown bypass - at either end as the dual carriageway ends - and the A35 in Chideock.
Traffic coming in and out of Dorset from Hampshire and the M27 is also an area where delays can be expected around Ringwood and the A338 spur road to Bournemouth. Heavy traffic could add hours to people's journey times so planning ahead is vital. RAC breakdown spokesperson Alice Simpson said: "The late bank holiday weekend clashes with the end of the Easter break for many schools - which we think will change the nature of this year's getaway.
"Although journey numbers are still very high, we're anticipating more day trips and weekend breaks than people heading off on one and two-week stints." To compound the busy volume of traffic, there are several ongoing roadworks in popular tourist destinations such as Weymouth and Dorchester. In Weymouth, there are currently emergency gas works taking place on Weymouth Way between Chafeys Roundabout and Manor Roundabout.
A temporary traffic light system has been put in place and has been causing delays of around ten to 15 minutes on normal days. With thousands expected to flock to the beaches these roadworks are likely to cause severe delays. In Dorchester the Maumbury Junction roadworks will also cause problems as day trippers look to gain access to the town centre car parks.
On top of the busy roads, there is also going to be disruption to train services along the Weymouth-Waterloo line. This is due to planned engineering works with trains running at different times on certain days and buses will be in operation where sections of line will close. For the Weymouth-Waterloo line this will mean:
Saturday, April 19 (Easter Saturday): Buses will replace trains between Bournemouth and Southampton Central Sunday 20 April (Easter Sunday): Buses will replace trains between Bournemouth and Eastleigh Monday, April 21 (Easter Monday): All lines will reopen; however a Sunday service will be in operation for the bank holiday
It is warned that engineering works will also affect the line between Southampton and Fareham on the Portsmouth line (nine-day closure) and the Brockenhurst-Lymington route on certain days.
During this time, Network Rail engineers will stabilise a railway cutting between Swanwick and Fareham and carry out other works such as bridge strengthening, cutting back vegetation and other maintenance work.
Passengers are advised to plan ahead and check with their train operator before they travel.