PR5339 – C13 Road closed to improve traffic management

Road closed to improve traffic management – 18-22 Jan 2016

The C13 between Blandford and Shaftesbury will be closed at Melbury Abbas for one week to allow the replacement of barriers in Dinah’s Hollow.

Currently Dorset County Council has temporary traffic management within the hollow to move vehicles into the centre of the road, reducing the risk to road users from the possibility of a landslip from unstable slopes.

The existing water filled barriers will be replaced with more substantial concrete blocks. This follows a decision from the county council’s Cabinet, earlier this month, to delay the process of stabilising the slopes in order to investigate longer term measures for strategic traffic routes within Dorset, Wiltshire, and Bath and North Somerset.

Cllr Peter Finney, the council’s Cabinet member for environment, said:

“Although our plans for stabilising the slopes in Dinah’s Hollow have been delayed, it is important that we maintain the traffic management for the duration until we know about any future plans.

“We have already had a good meeting with our neighbouring councils and will continue to investigate all our options.”

The week long road closure, in place 24 hours a day, will start at on Monday 18 January and finish on the following Friday. During this time the highways teams will also be carrying out some safety works to the trees.

Resurfacing Boundary and West Hill will take place in the spring.

For more information about Dinah’s hollow visit www.dorsetforyou.com/dinahs-hollow

Issued By:
Fiona King, Public Relations Officer
Tel: 01305 224725
Email: f.e.king@dorsetcc.gov.uk

Communications Unit, County Hall, Dorchester DT1 1XJ
Tel 01305 224491
www.dorsetforyou.com/news

Treatment agreed for Blandford Fly

A meeting was held on 4 November made up of North Dorset, East Dorset, Christchurch and Poole councils along with Public Health England, NHS Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group, Freshwater Biological Association and local residents to consider the future treatment of the River Stour.

All partners agreed to continue with the treatment in the Spring of 2016.

The decision will now be reported to the Dorset Health Protection Network on 9 December who will be told that local authority and health funding arrangements have been agreed and that permission has been granted to treat the river.

Important Information for households and businesses with septic tanks and small sewage treatment plants

Please click on the link below to see a guidance from the Department of the Environment and Rural Affairs/Environment Agency for households and businesses with spetic tanks and small sewage treatment plants –

DEFRA and EA Small Sewage Discharges Guidance

PR4293 – Site meeting at Dinah’s Hollow

Site meeting at Dinah’s Hollow

Landowners and parish councillors have met with engineers in Dinah’s Hollow to discuss proposals to stabilise the slopes.

Representatives from Dorset County Council explained which trees would be retained, what vegetation will be cut back and where the soil nails and mesh will be used.

Dorset County Council closed part of theC13 that links Blandford to Shaftesbury in April 2014after receiving a report that showed that the slopes through the hollow were unstable.The road wastemporarily opened in July, under traffic management measures that will protect road users.

Local wildlife, including bats, badgers and nesting birds have been taken into consideration by the plans to minimise disturbance and to keep as much of the environment as natural as possible, while removing the risk of slippage along the slopes.

Cllr Peter Finney, the council’s Cabinet member for environment, said:

“It has been a useful exercise for everyone. We have worked with the local community to find an acceptable level of work that gives us a solution to stabilise the slopes.”

“The next step is for the landowners to agree, in principle,for us to carry out this work and contract details to be agreed. We can then move forward on the tree preservation orders and other issues that need to be resolved before we start work.”

The plans for stabilisation of the Holloway can be found on www.dorsetforyou.com/dinahs-hollow

Issued By:
Fiona King, Public Relations Officer
Tel: 01305 224725
Email: f.e.king@dorsetcc.gov.uk

Attachments

Site meeting at Dinah’s Hollow

PR 4282 – Road closure for site meeting

Road closure for site meeting

Part of the road that links Blandford and Shaftesbury will be closed for seven hours this Wednesday.

The C13 through Melbury Abbas and Dinah’s Hollow is to be shut between 9am and 4pm so that Dorset County Council engineers can meet with landowners to discuss the stabilisation proposals.

Cllr Peter Finney, Cabinet member for environment, said:

“It’s essential for us to discuss our proposals with landowners and unfortunately, due to the narrow passage through the hollow, we need to close the road to carry out the site visit safely.

“We’ll be carrying out a site inspection and survey work to make the best use of time, we’re sorry for the disruption the closure will cause.”

The road is currently open under traffic management following a complete closure by the council last year after the slopes through the hollow were found to be unstable.

More information can be found at dinahs-hollow

PR 4250 – C13 – Growing support for HGV one-way system

Growing support for HGV one-way system

The trial of an unofficial, voluntary HGV one-way system directing HGVs to travel north towards Shaftesbury on the A350 and south towards Blandford on the C13 is being supported by local and national firms

Dorset County Council implemented this scheme following feedback from haulage firms and residents along both roads. It will lessen the likelihood of two HGV’s travelling in opposite directions trying to pass each other at a pinch point. This situation, when it happens, can cause disruption and delays to all highway users and impacts on local communities.

The voluntary one-way system started on 20 July and has gained support from haulage companies including the county council’s business partners Hanson and the Dorset Waste Partnership. The Road Haulage Association and the Freight Transport Association have informed their members of this scheme and have asked them to make a measurable impact on the way HGV’s and coaches travel these routes.

Cllr Peter Finney, the county council’s Cabinet member for environment, said:

“This trial of a one-way system is down to the hard work of officers negotiating with the relevant organisations to find a solution that would work.

“This is a voluntary scheme and we are unable to enforce it, but if it can reduce the number of HGVs meeting than it has to be good for everyone.

“We will continue to monitor this arrangement, keeping an eye on the situation.”

The trial will continue until the C13 at Melbury Abbas is closed again when work will start on stabilising Dinah’s Hollow. The road had been closed for over a year due to the risk to road users from the unstable slopes. A date for this work has not been set.

For more information about the Dinah’s Hollow project visit www.dorsetforyou.com/dinahs-hollow.

Issued By:
Fiona King, Public Relations Officer
Tel: 01305 224725
Email: f.e.king@dorsetcc.gov.uk

PR 4223 – C13 – HGVs going one way

HGVs going one way

A possible solution to the problems of HGVs travelling between Blandford and Shaftesbury is being trialled from next week.

Dorset County Council has discussed the issue with local and national haulage companies to try and alleviate the problems caused when two large vehicles try and pass each other along the narrower sections on these roads.

A trial of an unofficial, voluntary HGV one-way system will start on Monday 20 July. HGV, who are taking part, will travel north towards Shaftesbury on the A350 and south towards Blandford on the C13.

Cllr Peter Finney, county council Cabinet member for environment, said:

“This solution will not reduce the number of HGVs using these routes, but it will lessen the likelihood of two HGV’s [sic] travelling in opposite directions trying to pass each other at a pinch point. This causes disruption and delays to all highway users and impacts on local communities.

“This is the first of a number of initiatives to reduce the impact on roads in North Dorset. We will continue to work with local communities to find more solutions.”

The trial will continue until the C13 at Melbury Abbas is closed again when work will start on stabilising Dinah’s Hollow. The road has been closed for over a year due to the risk to road users from the unstable slopes. A date for this work has not been set.

More information about Dinah’s Hollow can be found at www.dorsetforyou.com/dinahs-hollow

Issued By:
Fiona King, Public Relations Officer
Tel: 01305 224725
Email: f.e.king@dorsetcc.gov.uk

Communications Unit, County Hall, Dorchester DT1 1XJ. Tel 01305 224491
www.dorsetforyou.com/news

PR 4207 – C13 Re-opens

The C13 that links Blandford to Shaftesbury via Melbury Abbas will be opened tomorrow (07 July) following final technical checks on traffic control through Dinah’s Hollow.

The road is being temporarily opened under traffic management following a complete closure by Dorset County Council last year after the slopes through the hollow were found to be unstable.

Andrew Martin, the council’s head of highways, said:

“The short-term re-opening of this route will help the county’s roads cope with summer traffic.

“We have reduced the width of the road to keep those in small vehicles safe. There will be shuttle working through this section, managed by traffic lights. There may be some delays if traffic volumes increase.

The county council will continue to work with the local community with the plans that will resolve the long-term stability of the slopes.”

Details of the project can be found at www.dorsetforyou.com/dinahs-hollow

Issued By:
Fiona King, Public Relations Officer
Tel: 01305 224725
Email: f.e.king@dorsetcc.gov.uk

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.

PR 4076 – Solution to Dinah’s Hollow

Engineers from Dorset County Council have unveiled the solution to stabilise the slopes in Dinah’s Hollow, near Melbury Abbas.

The C13, between Blandford and Shaftesbury has been closed since April after a report showed that the slopes beside the road were unstable and a potential hazard to road users.

A combination of soil nailing, mesh work and low level concrete panels will be used to stabilise the soil to prevent slippage, protect the slopes and allow the road to be reopened.

The consultants Parsons Brinckerhoff, considered a number of possible solutions including regrading the slopes, bio-engineering and high retaining walls. The final solution will use proven technology and allow as much as possible of the ancient holloway’s character to be retained.

Timescales for this work are being finalised, but a number of statutory processes may delay the start of the work. These include approvals for works to trees protected by Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs) and Environmental impact assessments.

There will be a period of vegetation clearance and removal of some trees to allow access to the banks for installation of stabilisation measures. To reduce the disturbance to birds and other animals this cannot be done between March and August. It is hoped that a number of trees at the top of the slope will be retained.

Cllr Peter Finney, Cabinet member for environment and economy, said:

“Getting the timing right is going to be very tricky. Our discussions are still on going with various third parties to resolve any final issues. As soon as these negotiations are successfully completed the operation plan can be put in place, then there will be clarity with the timescales. Until that point is reached no definite dates can be finalised.

“Teams will continue surveying and repairing roads affected by the closure, but a longer term solution to reducing the impact on surrounding routes is being worked on.”

For more details of the solution and the engineers reports visit www.dorsetforyou.com/dinahs-hollow

Issued By:
Fiona King, Public Relations Officer
Tel: 01305 224725
Email: f.e.king@dorsetcc.gov.uk

Communications Unit, County Hall, Dorchester DT1 1XJ. Tel 01305 224491
www.dorsetforyou.com/news