A35 through New Forest to reopen after bridge works

The new bridge has been built alongside the older bridge

A major route through the New Forest is ready to reopen after being shut for months to allow the construction of a new bridge.

The A35 is expected to reopen to traffic on 11 April.

A 40mph temporary speed limit and four-way temporary traffic signals will remain in place however.

The road was closed in January as councillors decided the 113-year-old Holmsley Bridge, which carries the A35, had to be replaced.

Hampshire County Council said localised traffic management would be in place until the end of June when the £5.5m scheme was expected to be fully completed.

Work to widen the A31 at Ringwood, on the Hampshire-Dorset border, will last until November 2022

Station Road will reopen later in the week as a single lane with two-way temporary traffic signals while drainage works are completed.

The new bridge has been built alongside the existing steel one.

In the past months traffic was diverted via Brockenhurst and Lymington.

The scheme started during £25m works on the A31 at Ringwood to create a third lane on a 0.6-mile (1km) stretch.

The two sets of roadworks previously prompted New Forest organisations to issue a plea to drivers to stick to the official diversion routes.