THE slip road which connects a Hampshire town to one of the county’s busiest roads could be closed when work begins on a scheme to widen the dual carriageway.

A proposal to widen the A31 from two to three lanes on both sides at Ringwood was announced by the coalition government before the general election in December last year as part of a £15billion plan to invest in more than 100 new road schemes across the country.

But it is unlikely that work will begin on the scheme until 2020 – although this timescale is still not fixed.

Despite a request by Ringwood Town Council for more detailed information on when the work will take place, Highways England has not provided any more specifics on the scheme.

The issue is due to be discussed at a meeting of the council’s planning, town and environment committee tomorrow.

Papers released ahead of the meeting show plans to widen the dual carriageway are still very much on Highway England’s agenda – but the scheme is at a “very early stage of development”.

Jo Hurd, deputy town council clerk, said: “Highways England and its consultants WSP have recently presented initial outcomes of modelling work and environmental surveys to Hampshire County Council.

“But, the findings were focussed on the impacts on the A31 itself and not so much on the potential impact to Ringwood.

“Further work is now being carried out and another meeting is planned in November and it is hoped a town council representative will be invited to attend.”

Mrs Hurd also explained that options to close West Street, the slip road which connects the A31 to Ringwood, are still being assessed and no decision has been made.

The town council has also requested that local consultation be carried out prior to any decision being taken.

The stretch of the A31 between the Ashley Heath interchange and Poulner Hill sees frequent crashes of varying severity and often motorists experience long delays due to rush hour traffic.

Ringwood mayor Michael Thierry said: “I’m really delighted that Highways England still has the Ringwood section of the A31 at the forefront of its mind.

“We welcome anything that makes it safer for the thousands of people who use that stretch of road every day.”

“We don’t want Highways England to ever feel that work to improve the A31 is ever complete it is very much a work in progress.”

The work will also include junction improvements, changes to nearby roads and pedestrian safety upgrades.