PR 4190 – C13 to re-open

The C13 road that has been closed for over a year will be temporarily reopened at the end of the month with a reduced width and traffic lights.

The C13 that runs through Dinah’s Hollow in Melbury Abbas links Blandford and Shaftesbury. The road has been closed for over a year after a report showed that the slopes beside the road were unstable and a potential hazard to road users.

Last month Dorset County Council’s Cabinet considered a report that looked at the full risk assessment of the impact of the closure on surrounding roads, communities and businesses compared to the safety risk over longer timescales than initially expected to complete the proposed stabilisation works.

The Cabinet decided to temporarily open the road with a traffic management solution to reduce the risk of a car being engulfed if a slippage happens. Placing continuous lines of barriers either side of the centreline and directing a single lane of traffic down the centre of the road, controlled by traffic lights will move vehicles away from the bottom of the slopes.

Cllr Peter Finney, Cabinet member for environment, said:

“This will help to alleviate the pressure on the county’s roads during the busy summer months and to reduce the wear and tear of the surrounding small roads and local rat runs.”

The county council’s highways team will continue with negotiations and consultation to ensure a long-term solution for the stabilisation of the slopes can be realised.

More information can be found on www.dorsetforyou.com/dinahs-hollow.