Dorset Council have now completed their various road safety improvements to the A37 from just before the railway bridge up to the Dorchester end entrance to Stratton village.
There are now new hatch marks from the turning to Ash Hill on both sides of the road (except directly under the railway bridge), shepherding the traffic on a line away from the walkway and the Stratton entrance. There are new studs, both red and green as appropriate, to highlight and indicate the direction of travel. These go from the beginning to the end of the hatching. There is a new road surface which is designed to prevent skidding. On the road are yellow bands enclosing three sets of ‘SLOW’ signs, two before the bridge and one after it. New directional arrows are now in place on the side of the road indicating to traffic to stay right, just before the Stratton turnoff. Trees in the central reservation have also been severely cut back to aid visibility.
Highways will review the efficacy of these new arrangement in the spring.
The Parish Council would like to thank villagers for their patience in dealing with the delays and the extra time it took to leave or to enter Stratton over the past week. Hopefully, the improvement works will prove beneficial when seen against the short period of disruption.