COUNTY chiefs are being asked to speed up the building of a controversial new bridge over the River Avon near Sopley.

Cabinet members are being recommended today to agree to an accelerated bridge-building programme at Avon Causeway to avoid traffic chaos next summer.

The current bridge is seriously corroded and only wide enough to allow the 2,500 vehicles using it daily to pass single file.

The new bridge would allow two-lane traffic, but many residents and community leaders say they would rather it remained single lane because this acts as an effective traffic calmer.

Work was due to start this summer but has been put back 12 months in light of local opposition.

A report to be seen by cabinet members says the council has been requested to consider building a temporary bridge costing £367,000, to ease the volume of traffic forced to use Christchurch Bypass while the permanent bridge is built.

"The diversion of traffic would involve about 2,500 vehicles per day and is likely to increase peak- hour journey times by between three and four minutes for traffic diverting to the bypass from the Avon Causeway," says the report.

"However, further environmental studies would need to be done to allow English Nature and the Environment Agency to decide whether they would approve this option, and such approval is by no means guaranteed.

"The alternative approach would be to accelerate the works programme so that it can be shortened from 26 to 16 weeks, at an additional cost of £89,000, thereby reducing the duration that diversionary routes would be in force."

First published: September 7