Dorset roads and travel news
Dorset roads and travel news, newest first: closures, roadworks, rail changes, buses and parking, from the authorities' own notices.
Top story
Free Parking in Weymouth Town Centre on Three Days Before Christmas
Twelve Weymouth car parks are free on Saturday 28 November, Saturday 5 December and Tuesday 22 December, including Swannery and Lodmoor. Updated November 2026.
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Roads
Dorset Gritting This Winter: 12,000 Tonnes of Salt and 23 Routes
Dorset Council grits 23 main routes once roads are forecast below 0.5°C. It has stocked more than 12,000 tonnes of salt, and a live map shows which roads are done.
Dorchester
Two Graves Found Under Fairfield Road in Dorchester
Two graves with human remains were found on 2 November during the Fairfield Road improvements. Their age is not yet known; earlier digs there found Roman burials.
Roads
Beaminster Tunnel Closed From 9 November to 4 December
Beaminster Tunnel on the A3066 shuts for four weeks from Monday 9 November for landslip safety work. Drivers follow a signed diversion on other A roads.
Parking
Dorset Parking Charges 2027: £1.20 Hour Could Hit £2.10
Dorset Council plans town-by-town parking charges from April 2027: one hour in town rises from £1.20 to up to £2.10, and five free car parks could start charging.
Portland
Portland Roadworks: Road Closures and Traffic Orders Near Portland
Portland roadworks: Wide Street (from 30 Nov) and every other traffic order within 3 km, checked each morning with the council's notice linked.
Sherborne
Loscombe Crossroads: A30 Closure to Stay, Say by 11 Dec
Dorset Council wants to keep Loscombe Crossroads on the A30 near Sherborne shut for good. Reopening would cost £1m to £15m. Survey closes 11 December.
Dorchester
Dorchester Roadworks: Road Closures and Traffic Orders Near Dorchester
Dorchester roadworks: Dorchester Road (now, until 19 Mar) and every other traffic order within 3 km, checked each morning with the council's notice linked.
Swanage
Swanage Roadworks: Road Closures and Traffic Orders Near Swanage
Swanage roadworks: no temporary traffic orders in force within 3 km of Swanage right now. Checked every morning from the council's notices.
Weymouth
Weymouth Roadworks: Road Closures and Traffic Orders Near Weymouth
Weymouth roadworks: Dorchester Road (now, until 19 Mar) and every other traffic order within 3 km, checked each morning with the council's notice linked.
Wimborne
Wimborne Roadworks: Road Closures and Traffic Orders Near Wimborne
Wimborne roadworks: no temporary traffic orders in force within 3 km of Wimborne right now. Checked every morning from the council's notices.
Weather
Storm Austen: Portland Beach Road Open, Chiswell Flood Alert
Portland Beach Road closed on Friday morning as Storm Austen hit Dorset, reopened by 1.30pm and was still open on Saturday night, the council says.
Gillingham
Gillingham's Madjeston Way Opens After Three Years Closed
The 1.3km road linking New Road and Shaftesbury Road across south Gillingham is now open, three years after it was finished. Here is how it works.
Poole
Poole to Cherbourg Ferry Ends: MP Asks PM to Keep Door Open
The Barfleur's last Poole to Cherbourg sailing ends a 34-year link. Vikki Slade MP raised it with the PM, who offered a meeting with the Europe minister.
Buses
Dorset Buses: 700 Extra Weekly Journeys From Summer 2027
Dorset Council has approved a seven-year bus plan: 700 more journeys a week and Saturday buses on every core route from summer 2027. Routes are not named yet.
Roadworks
Dorchester Road Weymouth Closure: Buses Diverted From 23 Oct
Dorchester Road in Radipole is closed from 19 October to Christmas. Buses 2, 10 and X51 divert from 23 October via Weymouth Way and miss six stops.
Roadworks
A31 Shut All Weekend 16 to 19 Oct, Bere Regis to the A350
The A31 from Bere Regis to the A350 shuts 9pm Friday 16 October to 6am Monday 19 October, now confirmed in National Highways' report, after nights to 15 October.
Transport
Sandbanks Ferry Refit: Last Crossings on 1 November
The chain ferry stops for a planned seven weeks from 2 November for its major refit in Poole and Falmouth. The last sailing leaves Shell Bay at 11.10pm on Sunday 1 November.
Remembrance
Remembrance Sunday in Dorset: 2027 Is on 14 November
Remembrance Sunday 2027 falls on 14 November. This is how Weymouth, Dorchester and Lyme Regis marked it on 8 November 2026, with times and road closures.
Ferndown
Victoria Road Ferndown revamp starts Monday 7 September
Ten weeks of work on Ferndown's shopping street start 7 September. The road and all shops stay open, with planters, seating and parking changes coming.
Weymouth
Abbotsbury Road Weymouth: 12 Weeks of Lights from 7 Sep
Temporary signals where Abbotsbury Road meets Chickerell Road stay until 27 November. Both roads now shut overnight from 23 to 27 November, not 9 to 16.
Roads
Weymouth Esplanade to close overnight from 28 September
Dorset Council will shut the Esplanade 8pm to 6am from 28 September to 17 October for resurfacing, with Wessex Roundabout to follow. The full autumn list.
Trains
Dorset Christmas trains 2026: no service 25 and 26 December
No trains on 25 or 26 December; buses replace Wareham to Weymouth trains on Sunday 13 December. Last year's last Weymouth train left Waterloo at 7.35pm.