DRIVERS are being warned of delays and disruption next week due to a road closure which will see motorists face a near six-mile diversion route.

As previously reported, a 90-metre stretch of School Hill in Chickerell is set to be closed for five days for resurfacing works, white line painting and the relocation of lampposts.

Dorset Council will shut a section of the road, from the junction of Woodland Way, from Monday, October 26 to Friday, October 30 - and has published details of a 5.9-mile diversion route that motorists would take to bypass it.

The diversion route would see drivers being sent around Weymouth through Radipole and Nottington, including various key roads such as Weymouth Way and Chickerell Road.

To bypass the roadworks motorists would be sent along Putton Lane onto Glennie Way and then left onto Chickerell Road.

They would then turn left into Chickerell Link Road and Hampshire Road, and onto Granby Way, taking the second exit at the Chafeys Roundabout onto Weymouth Way and the first exit onto Dorchester Road off Manor Roundabout.

Dorset Echo: A 90-metre stretch of School Hill in Chickerell is set to be closed for five days for resurfacing works, white line painting and the relocation of lampposts.A 90-metre stretch of School Hill in Chickerell is set to be closed for five days for resurfacing works, white line painting and the relocation of lampposts.

Drivers would then follow Dorchester Road for 0.7 miles and turn left onto Nottington Lane, left again onto Harbour Hill and right onto Cold Harbour before continuing to School Hill.

Roadworks are already underway in the area to create a new road layout to support the new Bank and Ridge Farm housing development.

A Dorset Council spokeswoman explained the roadworks are vital to ensure their roads remain in a good condition.

She said: “The work is part of our planned maintenance programme to keep our road network in good condition.

“We are using this time to also make adjustments to street lighting so that the road is only closed for one period. When planning our work we try to minimise disruption to the surrounding network and take into account key infrastructure like schools.

Dorset Echo: Diversion route to bypass the School HIll closure in ChickerellDiversion route to bypass the School HIll closure in Chickerell

“As required by national regulations, traffic is diverted onto the same classification of road as the one closed, with the length of this diversion illustrating the rural nature of the works location. Drivers may choose to use an alternative local route, suitable for their vehicle, to avoid the closure.”

Councillor Jean Dunseith, who represents Chickerell for Dorset Council, previously said that the roadworks on School Hill are key to the neighbouring housing development but feared it could cause some disruption to those travelling southbound from Nottington into Chickerell.