BOOT Hill in Weymouth reopens to two-way traffic today – but motorists are being warned to face more delays behind the wheel.

Temporary traffic lights will be in place for a week on the route while workmen make up for lost time because of extreme weather conditions.

After a week the temporary signals, which will be near the Chickerell Road junction, will operate out of peak traffic times.

Reopening the route will make it easier for people to get to tonight’s Weymouth Christmas Sparkle and will help to boost trade in the town in the run-up to Christmas, Dorset County Council said.

The council’s strategic projects manager Matthew Piles said the team had worked day and night over the last five weeks to get the first phase of works finished by Christmas.

He added: “With the recent extreme temperatures, it has been impossible to pour concrete or lay tarmac, which has significantly affected where we are.

“Due to the weather, there is also insufficient time for us to complete the last island, lay the final surface and commission the signals at Harbour Junction before Christmas.”

President of Weymouth’s Chamber of Commerce Nigel Reed welcomed the news.

He said: “As a chamber we’re really pleased that the road is opening again but it’s a shame there’s going to be a light system there. I don’t think the people at the council sit in a room thinking ‘what can we do to annoy people’, although a lot of people think that.

“Given the weather we’ve had in the last couple of weeks, they’ve done well to continue.”

Mr Reed said he hopes the newly reopened road will attract more people to the Christmas Sparkle, adding: “There’s free parking and if this doesn’t attract more people, then what more do we need to do?

“Hopefully people will come out and support it.”

Guest house co-owner Clare Buckle, who runs the Elwell Guest House in Rodwell Road, said the roadworks proved problematic for some of guests.

She said: “It didn’t make life easy for us to tell people where we were, as we’ve had to use a side entrance.

“In the dark, if you don’t know the area, with the roadworks it’s been hard for people to find the building. I shall be glad when all the work is done – at the moment I’m quite philosophical about it.

“We had one chap who stayed with us from Luxembourg who said how lucky we are to have investment in infrastructure and I suppose, to a certain extent, we are lucky.”

Garage owner Nigel Dowsett, of Dowsett Motors in Wyke Regis, said he had reached the end of his tether with the roadworks.

He said: “I’m pleased to hear Boot Hill is going to open but we’ve given up moaning and complaining. We’ve come to the end of our tether, but it’s very much a case of ‘what can we do?’ It’s good to see a bit of progress though.”