Dorset Roadworks This Week: A31 Shut Nightly, Esplanade

Dorset is a large rural county with two trunk roads and very few alternatives to them. When the A35 or the A31 shuts, the diversion is not a parallel dual carriageway. It is a lane through a village. That is why a road closure here matters more than the same closure would in a town.

This page tracks the Dorset roadworks that are genuinely booked and dated. Everything below was checked on 6 October 2026 against Dorset Council’s live programme of road works, its live travel updates, its newsroom, its statutory notices of 1 October, and the National Highways seven day closure report, which was last updated on 5 October and covers 5 to 11 October.

The week ahead, in one look

• The A31 between Bere Regis and the A350 is shut every night this week, 9pm to 6am, from Monday 5 October to the night of Friday 9 October. No closure is listed for Saturday or Sunday night.
• The A35 at Miles Cross, west of Bridport, has night works on Tuesday 6 and Wednesday 7 October, 8pm to 6am.
• Weymouth Esplanade is closed overnight, 8pm to 6am, until 17 October.
• Sherborne’s A352 Ottery Lane junction works started on 5 October, with temporary traffic signals.
• Portland’s Greenways estate roads are being resurfaced from 5 October, 9am to 4pm, and the Chesil Cove seawall repairs have started.
• New this week: Dorchester Road in Weymouth is due to close from 19 October until Christmas for gas main replacement. Details below, and in our full story.
• The Flying Scotsman brings road measures to Purbeck on its running days in half term: a 30mph limit at Harmans Cross and a closed bridge road in Swanage. Dates and tickets here.

The A31: the nights are now listed

National Highways’ order allows it to close both carriageways of the A31 between Bere Regis Roundabout, where it meets the A35, and Roundhouse Roundabout, where it meets the A350 west of Wimborne, for resurfacing. The details come from the company’s own statutory notice, published on 24 September.

The seven day closure report now gives the actual nights. It lists the carriageway closure, both directions, for resurfacing:

Night	Closed
Monday 5 October	9pm to 6am Tuesday
Tuesday 6 October	9pm to 6am Wednesday
Wednesday 7 October	9pm to 6am Thursday
Thursday 8 October	9pm to 6am Friday
Friday 9 October	9pm to 6am Saturday
Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 October	No closure listed

What the order says about the rest of the job:

• the work is expected to last about four weeks from Monday 5 October
• a full weekend closure is proposed from 9pm on Friday 16 October to 6am on Monday 19 October. It is not yet in the closure report, which runs only to 11 October.
• lay-bys and bus stops on the stretch stay closed 24 hours a day
• the diversion is the A35 and the A350, in either direction
• access to homes and farms fronting the road is maintained under escort

The stretch carried an average of 19,681 motor vehicles a day in 2024, 765 of them lorries, according to the Department for Transport’s automatic counter on the link. Read the full story: A31 to shut at night for four weeks.

On the Hampshire side of the A31, the report also lists the westbound Picket Post entry slip closed on the nights of 6 and 7 October, and the westbound Poulner exit slip closed on the nights of 8 and 9 October, both 9pm to 6am.

The A35 this week: Miles Cross

The National Highways report lists one A35 job in Dorset this week. At Miles Cross, west of Bridport, the A35 has night works in both directions from 8pm to 6am on Tuesday 6 October and again on Wednesday 7 October. The report calls it three-way traffic lights for roundabout construction, and describes the overall scheme as a full closure to install a temporary barrier and narrow lanes for the Miles Cross development. It does not give a diversion. Allow extra time, and expect the road to be shut for part of each night.

The roundabout work is already moving buses. First Bus says the X51, X53 and A3 divert via Sea Road South to the A35 because of the Miles Cross roundabout construction, and do not serve the stops between Park Road and Sprakes Corner, until further notice.

The A30 and A35 west of Dorchester were a DBFO concession operated by Connect, with Balfour Beatty doing the work, due to hand back to National Highways on 30 September 2026. The summer of closures was the renewals programme before that handback, as set out in the National Highways notification republished by Charmouth Parish Council in July.

The speed limits have also changed. In January 2026 National Highways began delivering the A35 Charmouth to Yellowham speed reduction scheme, a £1.8 million safety project along a 26-mile stretch. The latest five years of validated collision data on that section recorded 199 collisions, 305 casualties and three deaths. The scheme installs average speed cameras in Winterbourne Abbas, Morcombelake and Chideock, with new limits including 50mph between Coombe Road and Monkey’s Jump Roundabout, 50mph between West Stinsford Roundabout and the Cuckoo Lane overbridge, and 30mph between Hollow Way and Howard Road.

Further east, on the council’s part of the A35, a temporary 30mph limit at Morden is due from 15 October. It covers about 1,600 metres east of the access road to Black Heath Farm, so works vehicles can reach Blackheath Water Recycling Centre. The council’s notice of 24 September anticipates it staying until 31 March 2028.

Closed right now

• Weymouth Esplanade: closed overnight, 8pm to 6am, until 17 October. Details below.
• B3157 at Abbotsbury: closed for about 430 metres between Back Street and Glebe Close until about 9 October.
• Kings Road and Athelstan Road, Dorchester: closed until about 11 December.
• Fairfield Road, Dorchester: the pedestrianised section is closed 24 hours a day from 28 September for around nine weeks.
• Greenways, Shortlands, Hamcroft and Montrose Close, Portland: closed 9am to 4pm for resurfacing by Eurovia, from 5 October until about 16 October. Clearways apply on those roads and on Weston Road, and the council’s order warns that cars left there can be removed.
• Colway Lane, Lyme Regis: closed for about 260 metres from Windsor Terrace, from 5 October until about 16 October, for South West Water trial holes. The order is now made. Diversion via the B3165 and A3052.
• Roads around West Milton, near Powerstock: the C44, Ridgeback Lane and Ruscombe Lane closed from 6 October until about 30 October, for Wessex Internet fibre. Also now made.
• Rabling Road, Swanage: 30 metres from the A351 closed until about 11 December, as an SGN compound.
• Blandford bypass: resurfacing behind a 10mph convoy vehicle until about 10 October. The road stays open.
• A3066 Tunnel Road, Beaminster: temporary traffic lights both ways near Beaminster Tunnel, for emergency repairs, until 2 November.
• Abbotsbury Road and Chickerell Road, Weymouth: the 12-week junction job continues, with temporary signals until late November.

Rushall Lane and Knoll Lane in Corfe Mullen reopened after 2 October, when their resurfacing slot ended.

Sherborne: junction works under way

Dorset Council started work at the A352 Ottery Lane and Westbury junction in Sherborne on Monday 5 October. Its news release of 24 September says temporary traffic signals are needed during construction, with overnight closures for resurfacing from 26 to 31 October and signed diversions. Neither the release nor the project page gives the hours of the night closures or a finish date for the signals.

The scheme gives traffic on the A352, and between the A352 and the A30, the right of way. The council says the present layout pushes through traffic into Westbury and Acreman Street. The work also includes new crossings, street lighting changes, drainage and resurfacing.

Portland: Chesil Cove seawall repairs

Dorset Council said on 28 September that repairs to the Chesil Cove seawall would start on or around 5 October and take about two weeks, weather and tides permitting. Inspections found holes in the steel piling and voids behind it.

• a construction compound is set up near Victoria Square
• machinery reaches the site along Chesil Beach
• the south steps beside the works are closed until the repairs finish
• access to the beach stays open by the north steps

What is closed and when

Everything in this chart is a full closure, except the Beaminster and Sherborne lights, the A37 lane closure and the ferry. Roads are open outside the hours shown.

Weymouth Esplanade is closed overnight from 8pm to 6am until 17 October, followed by the Wessex Stadium roundabout from 19 to 23 October, also 8pm to 6am. The council’s statutory notice for the Esplanade, dated 3 September, covers Greenhill from Westerhall Road to Waterloo Place, the whole of Waterloo Place, the Esplanade from Waterloo Place to Alexandra Gardens, and the whole of King Street. Overnight clearways apply, and a car left on the closed sections can be removed.

Buses divert too. First Bus says routes 1, 2, 4, 10, X51 and X53 run via King Street and Weymouth railway station between 8pm and 6am, with no stops served between Westerhall and the Famous Old Spa.

The roundabout now has its own order. A notice of 1 October says the council intends to close all approaches to the Wessex Stadium roundabout, and Radipole Lane from the roundabout to Cumberland Drive, at night, for highway maintenance. The order runs from 19 October, with the work expected to finish by 28 October. The council’s live programme gives the closure nights as 19 to 23 October.

The B3157 coast road through Abbotsbury is closed for around 430 metres, from Back Street to Glebe Close, while Wessex Internet installs fibre cable. The order expects the works to finish by 9 October. The signed diversion is the A35, B3159 and A354.

Weymouth: Dorchester Road closes from 19 October

The biggest new item in the council’s 1 October notices is in Weymouth. The council intends to make an order for SGN to replace gas mains on Dorchester Road, in two phases:

• Phase 1: full closure between Milton Terrace and Monmouth Avenue, from 19 October to Christmas
• Phase 2: one-way closure, northbound, between Monmouth Avenue and Icen Road, from 4 January to 19 March 2027

The signed diversion uses the B3155, A353, A354 and B3159. That stretch of Dorchester Road is the B3159 through Radipole. It overlaps with the Wessex Stadium roundabout nights, the Marsh Road closure and the Chickerell Road junction job, all in the same part of town. Our full story: Dorchester Road to close until Christmas.

New closures in the 1 October notices

Dorset Council published five bundles of notices on 1 October. “Made” means the order exists. “Intended” means the council has given notice that it plans to make one.

Road	Dates	Why	Status
Newmans Drove, Shillingstone, about 825 metres north from Bere Marsh	8 Oct to about 4 Nov, as signed	Council resurfacing	Made
Ridgeway Lane, Hinton St Mary, about 300 metres east of Hinton Drive	8 Oct to about 5 Nov, as signed	Council resurfacing	Made
Marsh Road, Weymouth, Chickerell Road to Weston Road	9 Oct to about 16 Nov	SSEN electricity reinforcement	Made
Valley Road and an unnamed road, Tarrant Gunville	12 Oct to about 18 Dec	SSEN 11kV cable	Made
Dorchester Road, Weymouth	19 Oct to Christmas, then northbound only to 19 Mar 2027	SGN gas mains	Intended
Wessex Stadium roundabout and Radipole Lane, Weymouth	Nights, 19 to about 28 Oct	Council maintenance	Intended
B3162 at North Bowood, about 1,320 metres from Stoke Road	19 Oct to about 6 Nov	Wessex Water main	Intended
School Lane, Bradford Peverell, A37 to the railway bridge	19 Oct to about 27 Nov	Council footway and road works	Intended
Chancery Lane, Bridport, about 35 metres (pedestrians)	19 to about 30 Oct	Water main connection	Intended
A351 Valley Road, Harmans Cross, temporary 30mph	24, 25, 28, 29 Oct and 1 Nov	Flying Scotsman crowds	Intended
Northbrook Road, Swanage, Gilbert Road to Court Road	24, 25, 28, 29 Oct and 1 Nov	Flying Scotsman crowds at the railway bridge	Intended

On Newmans Drove and Ridgeway Lane the council says signs will go up two weeks ahead with the exact closure dates. The B3162 diversion is via the B3163 and A3066. A separate order also removed a number of disabled parking bays in Dorchester, Ferndown, Portland, Sherborne and Weymouth from 2 October. The exact locations are on the council’s traffic orders page.

The A37 near Dorchester: lane closure from 19 October

Dorset Council said on 2 October that it will rebuild the crossing at Higher Wrackleford, on the A37 between Dorchester and Maiden Newton, from 19 October to 27 November. A lane closure will be in place on the A37 throughout, and School Lane will be closed, with access kept for school buses. The work removes the barriers in the middle of the crossing, widens footways and changes the School Lane junction to slow traffic.

Dinah’s Hollow: on track for the end of the year

The slope stabilisation scheme on the C13 at Dinah’s Hollow, near Melbury Abbas south of Shaftesbury, is in its final phase. The council said on 2 October that nearly 1,500 soil nails have gone in since January. Drainage, kerbs, surfacing and landscaping remain, and the council says the scheme is on track to finish by the end of 2026.

The micro surfacing streets

The council’s micro surfacing programme has not moved since 29 September. Each road is closed 9am to 5pm on its dates.

Place	Road	Dates
Sandford	Keysworth Drive	5 to 6 Oct
Sandford	Sandford Road	7 to 8 Oct
Sandford	Morden Road	8 to 12 Oct
Upton	Chelmsford Road	12 Oct
Wareham	Wyatts Lane	12 to 13 Oct
Wareham	East Walls	13 Oct
Stalbridge	Park Grove	14 to 15 Oct
Portland	Greenways, Shortlands and the Greenways spine route	15 to 17 Oct
Portland	Hamcroft and Montrose	17 Oct
Bradpole	Drew Close and Fox Close	17 to 18 Oct
Bradpole	Trinity Way	18 to 19 Oct
Bridport	Fishweir Fields and Acer Avenue	18 to 19 Oct
Bridport	Victoria Grove	19 to 20 Oct

Several dates fall on a weekend. The council’s page says roads are open at weekends “unless stated otherwise”, so go by the signs on the street.

Still to come from earlier notices

• B3069 at Kingston, Worth Matravers and Langton Matravers: from 8 October, 9am to 4pm, until about 6 November, for resurfacing. Exact dates for each section go on signs two weeks ahead.
• Black Moor Road, Verwood, Ringwood Road to Taunus Way: 7 to about 31 October, for National Grid.
• Gatemore Road, Winfrith Newburgh: 12 to about 30 October (intended).
• Five lanes at Chetnole: 12 October to about 5 November (intended).
• Thorncombe village centre: 12 October to about 13 November (intended).
• Church Lane, Buckland Ripers: 12 to about 23 October (intended).
• Jericho, Lyme Regis: 12 October to about 30 April 2027 (intended).
• Rushall Lane, Lytchett Matravers: 26 October to about 2 November (intended).

These come from the council’s 24 September bundles for Purbeck, east Dorset, west Dorset, Chetnole and Buckland Ripers. We could not confirm on 6 October whether the intended orders have since been made.

Weymouth: 12 weeks of traffic lights, and a night closure in November

Dorset Council started work on Monday 7 September at the junction of Abbotsbury Road and Chickerell Road, and expects to finish by Friday 27 November. Temporary two-way traffic signals are in place on Chickerell Road for the whole period. Abbotsbury Road and Chickerell Road close from 23 November until 27 November, 8pm to 6am, with a signed diversion.

More than 10,000 vehicles a day use Chickerell Road and around 8,000 use Abbotsbury Road.

The trains

West of England line. South Western Railway has cut the Yeovil Junction to Exeter St Davids service to one train every two hours, and runs one train an hour between London Waterloo and Yeovil Junction, because of speed restrictions after dry weather destabilised the track bed between Salisbury and Exeter. SWR’s West of England changes page puts the penalty at about 24 minutes extra towards Exeter and 27 minutes coming back, and about 3 minutes out and 13 minutes back for Yeovil Junction. There is still no end date. Journey planners are now loaded to Friday 23 October. Gillingham (Dorset) and Sherborne are on this line.

Weymouth line. The same SWR page says services between Brockenhurst and Weymouth are re-timed until further notice while it repairs the electrical supply system, with changed departure times, calling patterns and journey times. Check a journey planner before travelling from Weymouth, Dorchester South, Wareham or the stations between.

The autumn timetable runs from 20 September to 12 December, with trains leaving one to five minutes earlier than in the May timetable.

The chain ferry: out of service from 2 November

The Sandbanks to Shell Bay chain ferry is the short way between Poole and the Isle of Purbeck. The operator announced on 21 September that its last day of service before the refit is Sunday 1 November 2026, with the final sailing leaving Shell Bay at 11.10pm. It will then be out of service for about seven weeks, with the return date to be announced in December. Our full story is here.

We could not check the ferry’s live status on 6 October, because the operator’s website does not load for us. Check sandbanksferry.co.uk before you set off.

Since 1 July 2026 vehicles cannot pay at the barrier. Tolls are paid online or through the operator’s app. Tolls set on 1 April 2026 are £1.18 for a motorbike, £6.26 for a car or van and £12.52 for a goods vehicle or bus.

Weymouth park and ride

Weymouth’s Mount Pleasant Park & Ride, just off the A354 on Mercery Road (DT3 5HJ), is the sensible way into the town while the seafront works run. Parking is free, provided by Dorset Council, and you pay only for the bus.

First Bus Service 2 runs seven days a week. The summer boost ended on 20 September: First Bus has confirmed that the service now runs every 15 minutes Monday to Saturday and every 20 minutes on Sundays and public holidays. A ticket is £6.50 for up to two adults and three children into the town centre.

The routes that always catch people out

• The A31 between Bere Regis and the A350. The main road from Dorchester to the M27, shut at night for resurfacing. The diversion is the A35 and the A350.
• The A35 through Chideock and Morcombelake. Two villages the trunk road runs straight through, now with average speed cameras. Allow more time than the map suggests, in both directions, all year.
• The A354 into Weymouth. One road carries the seafront, the port, Portland and the park and ride. With the Esplanade shut at night and Dorchester Road due to close from 19 October, more traffic will be on it.
• The A3066 at Beaminster. Temporary lights at the tunnel until 2 November, on a road with no realistic alternative.
• The B3157 coast road between Weymouth and Bridport. Beautiful, and the standard diversion when the A35 shuts. It is cut at Abbotsbury until about 9 October.
• Corfe Castle on fine weekends. The Purbeck road through the village is narrow and the castle car park fills early. The Swanage Railway between Norden and Swanage exists partly to take cars off it. Expect it to be busier than usual on the Flying Scotsman days in half term, and once the chain ferry stops for its refit in November.

Frequently asked questions

Is the A31 closed in Dorset?

At night, yes. The National Highways closure report lists both carriageways closed between Bere Regis and Roundhouse Roundabout, 9pm to 6am, every night from Monday 5 to Friday 9 October, with no closure listed for the nights of 10 and 11 October. The order allows about four weeks of work and a proposed full weekend closure from 9pm on Friday 16 October to 6am on Monday 19 October. The diversion is the A35 and the A350.

Is the A35 closed in Dorset this week?

The report lists night works at Miles Cross, west of Bridport, from 8pm to 6am on Tuesday 6 and Wednesday 7 October, for roundabout construction. No other A35 closure in Dorset is listed between 5 and 11 October.

Why is Dorchester Road in Weymouth closing?

Dorset Council has given notice that it intends to close Dorchester Road between Milton Terrace and Monmouth Avenue from 19 October to Christmas, so SGN can replace gas mains. A northbound-only closure between Monmouth Avenue and Icen Road follows from 4 January to 19 March 2027. The diversion is the B3155, A353, A354 and B3159.

Why is Kings Road in Dorchester closed?

Dorset Council has made an order closing Kings Road between Icen Way and the B3144, and all of Athelstan Road, from 21 September, so Wessex Water can lay a new sewer connection. The council’s notice anticipates the works will be completed by 11 December 2026. Wessex Water is on 0345 600 4600.

Why are there traffic lights at Beaminster?

Dorset Council’s live travel updates list temporary traffic lights on the A3066 Tunnel Road both ways near Beaminster Tunnel, for emergency repairs and roadworks, until 2 November. The alert is graded severe and was last updated on 10 September.

When is Weymouth Esplanade closed?

Overnight, 8pm to 6am, until 17 October 2026 for resurfacing, followed by the Wessex Stadium roundabout from 19 to 23 October, according to Dorset Council’s live programme. The order also imposes overnight clearways, and a car left on the closed sections can be removed.

When are the Sherborne roadworks?

They started on Monday 5 October at the A352 Ottery Lane and Westbury junction, with temporary traffic signals. Overnight closures for resurfacing follow from 26 to 31 October.

When does the Sandbanks ferry stop for its refit?

The last day of service is Sunday 1 November 2026, with the final sailing leaving Shell Bay at 11.10pm, the operator announced on 21 September. The refit is planned to take about seven weeks, and the return date will be announced in December.

How much is the Sandbanks ferry in 2026?

£6.26 for a car or van, £1.18 for a motorbike and £12.52 for a goods vehicle or bus, as set on 1 April 2026. Since 1 July 2026 vehicle tolls must be paid online or by app rather than at the barrier.

Are the trains to London affected?

From Gillingham (Dorset) and Sherborne, yes. South Western Railway is running a reduced West of England service because of speed restrictions, with one train an hour to Yeovil Junction and one every two hours onward to Exeter. On the Weymouth line, trains between Brockenhurst and Weymouth are re-timed until further notice for electrical supply repairs, so check a planner.

Are there speed cameras on the A35 in Dorset?

Yes. National Highways’ Charmouth to Yellowham scheme installs average speed cameras in Winterbourne Abbas, Morcombelake and Chideock, alongside new 30, 40 and 50mph limits along the 26-mile stretch.

Is Weymouth park and ride free?

The parking is free. The bus is £6.50 for up to two adults and three children into the town centre on First Bus Service 2 from Mount Pleasant, every 15 minutes Monday to Saturday and every 20 minutes on Sundays.

Where can I check Dorset roadworks?

Dorset Council publishes a roadworks map and a live programme of resurfacing closures with dates. For the A35, A31 and other trunk roads, which the council does not manage, use the National Highways seven day closure report, which is a downloadable spreadsheet listing every closure by day. Dorset Highways’ traffic team can be reached on 01305 221020.

Sources

• National Highways statutory notice, A31 Trunk Road, Bere Regis to Roundhouse, reference NH/SE/2026/A31/73, published 24 September 2026, for the four weeks of night closures, the weekend closure and the diversion.
• National Highways seven day closure report, last updated 5 October 2026 and covering 5 to 11 October, for the A31 nights, the A35 Miles Cross works and the A31 slip roads in Hampshire.
• Department for Transport road traffic statistics, count point 46347 for the 2024 daily traffic on the A31 between the A35 and the A350.
• Dorset Council live programme of road works for every resurfacing and micro surfacing closure and its dates, checked 6 October 2026.
• Dorset Council live travel updates for the A3066 Beaminster traffic lights to 2 November, the South Western Railway alert and the council’s own warning about its alert feed, checked 6 October 2026.
• Dorset Council statutory notices on the Public Notice Portal, dated 1 October 2026: the Weymouth, Portland and Bradford Peverell bundle (Dorchester Road, Wessex Stadium roundabout, Marsh Road, Portland surfacing, School Lane); the utility works bundle (West Milton, Colway Lane, Chancery Lane, B3162 North Bowood); Shillingstone and Hinton St Mary; Tarrant Gunville and the disabled bay revocations; and the Flying Scotsman measures at Harmans Cross and Swanage.
• Dorset Council news releases: A37 improvements near Dorchester and Dinah’s Hollow, both 2 October 2026; Chesil Cove coastal defences, 28 September 2026.
• Dorset Council statutory notices on the Public Notice Portal, dated 24 September 2026: the Abbotsbury, West Bexington, Winfrith and Litton Cheney bundle; the Bridport, South Perrott, Thorncombe, Lyme Regis and Bradpole bundle; the Verwood, Blandford, Morden and Lytchett Matravers bundle; the Swanage and B3069 bundle; Chetnole; and Buckland Ripers.
• Earlier Dorset Council notices: the 3 September bundle for the Weymouth Esplanade night order, and the 17 September bundles for Kings Road and Athelstan Road, Dorchester, West Milton and Colway Lane, Lyme Regis, Marsh Road, Weymouth and Holway, Sandford Orcas.
• Dorset Council: junction improvements in Sherborne start Monday 5 October, 24 September 2026, and the project page.
• Dorset Council: public realm and drainage improvements for Fairfield Road, Dorchester, 17 September 2026, for the nine-week closure of the pedestrianised section.
• Dorset Council: Abbotsbury Road and Chickerell Road junction improvements for the 7 September start, the 27 November completion date and the 23 to 27 November closure.
• South Western Railway: West of England changes for the reduced West of England service, the extra journey times, the 23 October planner horizon and the Brockenhurst to Weymouth re-timing, checked 6 October 2026.
• First Bus service updates for the Miles Cross diversion and the Esplanade night diversion, checked 6 October 2026.
• First Bus: Weymouth Park and Ride improvements for the Service 2 frequencies from 20 September.
• Charmouth Parish Council: update to A35 roadworks, July 2026 for the Connect and Balfour Beatty renewals programme and the planned 30 September handback.
• National Highways: work to improve safety on the A35 in Dorset for the speed reduction scheme, the collision figures and the camera locations.
• The Sandbanks Ferry: refit date for 2026, announced 21 September 2026, for the 1 November last day, the seven week period and the December return announcement. Tolls as confirmed on the operator’s site earlier this year.

Next: Dorset train times to London if you would rather not drive at all, and things to do in Dorset for where all this traffic is heading.

Dates and prices were correct when checked on 6 October 2026. Roadworks move. Always confirm with the council or National Highways before travelling.