Local residents are being invited to speak with the highways project team leading the redesign of four busy junctions through Gillingham.

The improvements are being funded with £3.45m secured by the Dorset Local Enterprise Partnership through the Government’s Growth Deal.

Dorset Highways engineers are going to be in Gillingham next week to discuss plans to improve traffic flow by upgrading four busy junctions in the town centre:

• B3081 Shaftesbury Road junction with Newbury (High Street)
• B3081 Shaftesbury Road junction with B3092 New Road
• B3081 Le Neubourg Way / Station Road
• B3081 Shaftesbury Road / King John Road

Pedestrian and cycle facilities between Cemetery Road and Station Road, and around the B3081 junctions, are also being enhanced.

Plans will be on display, with engineers available to answer questions, at Gillingham Town Hall on Tuesday 16 July from 11am to 3pm and Thursday 18 July from 12.30pm to 7pm.

Councillor Ray Bryan, Portfolio Holder for Highways, Travel and Environment, said: ‘This investment into improving transport infrastructure is essential to unlocking new housing and employment land in the town.

‘We’ve been working hard on redesigning four essential junctions through the centre of Gillingham to ensure that they aid this economic growth of the town.

‘Improvements to walking and cycling facilities will also create greater travel choice for residents.’

Proposals also include investigating the potential for introducing one-way flow on Station Road (higher) to improve the pedestrian environment.

The funding will also enable the design of Enmore Green Link Road, between the B3081 and the A30 west of Shaftesbury, as part of the Gillingham Growth Package. The project aims to significantly reduce traffic travelling to and from Gillingham through Shaftesbury.

Anyone unable to attend the Town Hall exhibitions can, from Monday, see the proposals and fill in the feedback form online: dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/gillingham-growth-package