VolkerFitzpatrick wins A31 widening deal

VolkerFitzpatrick has bagged the contract to carry out a widening of the A31 at Ringwood in Hampshire, which is expected to cost between £25m and £30m.

The job was let under the Highways England’s Regional Delivery Partner Framework and comprises widening the A31 to three lanes between the A31 junction for Ringwood town centre, the B3347 Mansfield Road and the B3081 Verwood Underpass.

Highways England project manager Daniel Kittredge said: “Our plans to widen the westbound carriageway of the A31 at Ringwood will increase capacity, help reduce journey times and improve safety.”

The A31 is a vital spur route into Bournemouth and routinely congested during the summer months with traffic from visiting tourists. Consultants Stantec and Jacobs are also working on the scheme, which will add a third lane in the westbound direction to provide additional capacity.

Traffic joining from the Ringwood junction onto the A31 will do so via this new lane, rather than trying to merge with traffic already on the road, via a junction from West Street in Ringwood town centre. This junction was closed this month, when overnight surveys to garner more information on a gas main running under the A31 were also carried out.

An electricity cable is also being moved from alongside the A31 to a new route will running along West Street and through Market Place in the centre of Ringwood to connect to a network in a car park by St Peter and St Paul’s church. This diversion should be complete by the summer, when enabling works will begin.

The main construction will start in the Autumn and should be completed by next year.