Drivers are being given advance warning of major bridge works which will close the road that links Child Okeford and Shillingstone in north Dorset.

Hayward Main Bridge, which carries Bere Marsh Road/Hayward Lane over the River Stour, will be closed from Monday 4 April until Friday 14 October while it has a new deck built.

Work will be carried out to replace the corroded deck and steel bridge beams, and the existing stone masonry abutments and central pier will be refurbished.

Safer vehicle restraint parapets will be installed on the bridge and on the bridge approach, and the south west retaining wall – which is currently being held up by temporary supports – will be rebuilt.

Dorset County Councillor Deborah Croney, elected member for Hambledon Division, said: “The condition of this bridge has been getting progressively worse and it’s time to replace it before any further restrictions have to be put in place.

“It’s essential that we keep our communities linked, for business, for leisure and for our day-to-day lives and, although the closure will prove to be an inconvenience for a few months, completing these major works now will prove highly beneficial in the longer term.”

The signed diversion will take drivers along Duck Street and onto the A350 to Blandford. Walkers and cyclists will be able to use other foot bridges in the area – one north and one south of Hayward Main Bridge

Due to the scale of the work, Raymond Brown Ltd will be carrying out the work on behalf of Dorset County Council. This will ensure that essential maintenance to other structures in the county can still be carried out while this £1.5 million major project is underway.

In December 1997, a bridge assessment of the strength of the deck found the maximum load capacity of the bridge to be substandard and the bridge was given a weight restriction of 38 tonnes. A further inspection in August 2013 led to the restriction on the bridge being lowered to 26 tonnes.

For more information visit www.dorsetforyou.com/hayward-bridge