Simon Hoare, North Dorset MP, has written to the CEO of Hampshire County Council, highlighting complains of disruptive roadworks on the A338 Salisbury Road.
Works are expected to be in place for six months and will have traffic lights until July later this year.
Simon Hoare MP (Image: UK Parliament website)
Writing to Gary Westbrook, the council’s CEO, Hoare said: “It is clear that the traffic management in place is not coping with the volume of cars.”
“The traffic is regularly causing significant delays in Verwood, over 4 miles from the roadworks,” he added, as drivers have faced delays of more than an hour.
“I have been receiving regular updates from Verwood’s local Councillors who in turn are fielding the concerns of our local community.”
He further stated that works are impacting traffic on the A31 as well as routes into Bournemouth and further afield.
“I urge Hampshire County Council, SSEN and National Highways to work together and find a better solution,” he wrote.
“Given that the wider works on this stretch of road are due to last many months, every effort is needed to reduce the impact that this is having on the wider area.”
He called on the Highways Authority to do “whatever” it can to work with to manage the situation and asked for an extension of the working hours for highways workers to allow for the works to be completed sooner.
“The road network cannot be allowed to grind to a halt as a result of these works.”
He added that “more consideration” be given to the community of Verwood and surrounding villages and that as the works are on the Dorset and Hampshire border the impact into Dorset “ought not to be forgotten”.
With the works due to be completed by Scottish and Southern Power Distribution, Salisbury Road will see temporary traffic light instalments from Monday, January 5 until Friday, July 24.
A spokesperson for Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) Distribution said the essential works were in place to upgrade the electricity network in the Ringwood area.
They added that works would “further improve network reliability and resilience for thousands of customers and support greater capacity as local people use more electricity to heat their homes and power their cars”.