Drivers visiting Weymouth town centre this Autumn are being asked to think more carefully about how to access the town centre as track removal work gets underway.
The first phase of work will start on Monday 5 October to remove the tracks along Commercial Road, from King Street to Lower St. Alban Street, which will take around eight weeks.
Earlier this year, the Department for Transport (DfT) announced that Dorset Council was successful in its joint bid with Network Rail for funding to dismantle and remove the rails, which run along Commercial Road and Custom House Quay.
The disused tracks currently present an ongoing hazard to all road users – particularly cyclists and motorcyclists.
Cllr Ray Bryan, Portfolio Holder for Highways, Travel and Environment said: “The Weymouth Branch Line was officially taken out of service in 2016, by which time the poor condition of the tracks meant they could not be reused.
“We’re keenly aware of the historic nature of the rails and the project team are working with conservation officers to develop ideas of how best to preserve some historic elements of the tracks.
“We’re doing what we can to minimise disruption but, to help the flow of traffic, we also need help from drivers to plan ahead and think more carefully about their route into town. You may need to use a different route than usual.
“Our project team is trying to keep as much access open into town as possible – if you’ve got a specific concern, please get in touch.”
The first three days of work will see a section of King Street closed, from the Esso garage to Kings Junction, and will be followed by work on Commercial Road.
Commercial Road will then be closed in sections in a rolling programme – to minimise disruption – with one section reopening as another closes:
• Commercial Road closed from dead-end/terrace to bus depot
• Commercial Road closed from bus depot to Melcombe Regis Car Park, car park access/egress south only, Bath Street will be closed during this phase and no access from Gloucester Street onto Commercial Road
• Commercial Road closed from Melcombe Regis Car Park to Westham Road, car park access/egress north only, access maintained into Westham Road from the south but no access onto Westham Bridge
• Commercial Road closed from Westham Road to Mulberry Terrace (Town Council offices), access maintained into Westham Road from the north
• Commercial Road closed from Mulberry Terrace to Harbourside Car Park, car park access from the south only
• Commercial Road closed from Harbourside Car Park to multi-storey car park, access maintained into/out of multi-storey car park from the south only
• Commercial Road closed from multi-storey car park to Cosens Quay Car Park, access into multi-storey car park from the north and exit southbound only.
For the work to be carried out safely, all closures will be 24-hours-a-day. A signed diversion route will be in place to direct traffic around the closed section.
During work on King Street, from 5 October to end of 7 October, traffic will be diverted to use Weymouth Way – Dorchester Road – Westerhall – The Esplanade – King Street.
During closures on Commercial Road, traffic will be diverted to use King Street – The Esplanade (northbound) – Westerhall – The Esplanade (southbound) – Custom House Quay – Commercial Road.
To support the diversion of traffic along Custom House Quay, parking spaces between Cosens Quay and South Parade will be temporarily closed and Custom House Quay will become two-way during the work. Permit holders in this area will be able to use The Pavilion Car Park during this time.
The project team is working with bus companies to ensure routes can continue, some changes may be necessary, please look out for any notice of change at your local bus stop.
The track removal work will be followed with resurfacing of Commercial Road at the end of November. The second phase of work to remove the rails along Custom House Quay will start in January 2021.
The project to remove the old Weymouth Branch Line tracks was awarded £1.137m by the Department for Transport.
