PARTS of the A35 will be a ‘no-go’ area in May when it is shut in both directions for half a million pounds-worth of road repairs.

The road closures between Bridport and Honiton will be over ten days in May.

The road is being treated with a specialist surface that cannot be laid in moist conditions – meaning the road will have to be shut during the day.

Equipment used to do it is too wide to allow for single carriageway closure, said David Groves, operational manager of Connect, which manages the trunk road on behalf of the Highways Agency.

Although the specialist surface, which then has to have an anti-skid topping, is weather sensitive the road will be shut at night to prepare the road by repairing existing potholes and cracks first.

Heavy traffic will have to use the A37, A3088, A303 and the A30 and there will be more local diversions signposted for lighter traffic that will also have to take into account the closure of Beaminster Tunnel.

Diversion routes will see lorry drivers having to take a 67-mile detour to get from Honiton to Bridport, increasing estimated journey times from 33 minutes to an hour and 35 minutes.

Local diversions will double journey times from Axminster to Bridport on the 31-mile diversion.

Mr Groves said: “Because of the constraints of this material May is the best time to do this. If it is too hot the binding won’t set so we can’t wait until the tunnel road is open.”

The road will be manned at both Honiton and Monkeys Jump to advise motorists, particularly lorry drivers.

Times of road closures

  •  Thursday May 9 - to May 11 closed from 8pm to 6am
  •  Sunday May 12 to May 14 closed at the Crown Roundabout to Miles Cross from 8pm to 3.30pm.
  • Tuesday May 14 to May 15 closed from Penn Duals to Thistle House closed from 8pm 3.30pm.
  • Wednesday May 15 to May 16 closed from Wykes Farm overbridge to Trinity Hill 8pm to 3.30pm.
  • Thursday May 16 to Saturday May 18 closed from 8pm to 6am.
  • Access will be maintained throughout the works for residents, (only one way), emergency services and construction traffic.
  • There will be a live phone line open 24 hours 01404 823381.