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.

Dorchester Road in Weymouth is due to close from Monday 19 October until Christmas while SGN replaces gas mains. The full closure covers the stretch through Radipole between Milton Terrace and Monmouth Avenue.

Updated 20 October: Dorset Council made the closure order on 15 October and it came into force on 19 October, as the council’s later notice sets out. First Bus has re-dated its phase 1 diversion notice: it now reads effective from 23 October to 27 December.

Updated 13 October: First Bus has now published its diversions for services 2, 10 and X51, the six stops it cannot serve, and a Christmas break in the works from 19 December to 3 January. Details are in the new bus section below.

A second phase follows in the new year. From 4 January to 19 March 2027 the road will be closed to northbound traffic between Monmouth Avenue and Icen Road.

The plans are in a statutory notice published by Dorset Council on 1 October. The council says it intends to make the order “not less than seven days” from that date. That makes it an intention, not yet a made order. The notice says the work is expected to be finished by 19 March 2027, and the order can stay in force for up to 18 months.

What the notice says

  • Who: Scotia Gas Networks (SGN), replacing gas mains
  • Phase 1: full road closure between Milton Terrace and Monmouth Avenue, 19 October to Christmas
  • Phase 2: one-way closure, northbound, between Monmouth Avenue and Icen Road, 4 January to 19 March 2027
  • Diversion: signed via the B3155, A353, A354 and B3159

The notice gives Christmas, not a date, as the end of phase 1. It does not say whether the road reopens fully between Christmas and 4 January.

This stretch of Dorchester Road is the B3159 through Radipole. It runs past homes, shops and side streets, so the closure will affect people who live along it as well as through traffic.

It lands on top of other work in the town

Weymouth already has a busy autumn on its roads. All of the following come from the council’s own notices and programme:

  • Weymouth Esplanade is closed overnight, 8pm to 6am, until 17 October, according to the council’s live programme of road works.
  • Marsh Road is closed between Chickerell Road and Weston Road from 9 October to about 16 November, for electricity work. That order is already made.
  • The Wessex Stadium roundabout is due to close at night from 19 October, the same day Dorchester Road shuts. The same 1 October notice covers all its approaches and Radipole Lane up to Cumberland Drive. The live programme lists the nights as 19 to 23 October, 8pm to 6am.
  • The Abbotsbury Road and Chickerell Road junction has temporary signals until 27 November, with both roads closed overnight from 23 to 27 November, according to the council’s project page.
Timeline of Weymouth roadworks from October 2026 to March 2027. Esplanade closed at night to 17 October. Marsh Road closed 9 October to 16 November. Wessex Stadium roundabout closed at night 19 to 23 October. Dorchester Road fully closed between Milton Terrace and Monmouth Avenue from 19 October to Christmas. Chickerell Road junction traffic lights to 27 November, with night closures 23 to 27 November. Dorchester Road closed northbound between Monmouth Avenue and Icen Road from 4 January to 19 March 2027.
Graphic by The Dorset Post from Dorset Council's statutory notices of 3 September and 1 October 2026, its live programme of road works and its Abbotsbury Road project page.
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How the buses will run

First Bus has published two notices. Its service update of 12 October covers phase 1. When we checked on 20 October it was dated effective from 23 October to 27 December, “until Christmas 2026”. Services 2, 10 and X51 will leave the town centre via King Street, Swannery Bridge and Weymouth Way, and use Mercery Road and the Manor and Veasta roundabouts to get round the closure.

During the closure First Bus says it cannot serve these stops, in either direction:

  • Prince Regent
  • Westerhall
  • Lodmoor Hill
  • Old Police Station
  • Famous Old Spa

Morrisons is also missed, on outbound journeys only.

An earlier First Bus notice, dated 2 October, sets out the timetable for the whole job:

Dates What First Bus says will happen
19 to 24 October “Local arrangements will be in place”
25 October to 18 December Services 2, 10 and X51 run on the diversion
19 December to 3 January Normal routes, during “the Christmas works break”
4 January to 19 March Northbound closure; buses stay on the diversion

That answers one question the council’s notice left open. The road is due to have a break in the works over Christmas and New Year. The two First Bus notices do not quite agree on dates: the newer one runs phase 1 to 27 December, the older one restores normal routes from 19 December. Check the operator’s page before travelling over the holiday.

What it means for you

  • If you drive through Radipole, plan on the diversion from 19 October. The signed route uses the B3155, the A353, the A354 and the B3159.
  • If you live on the closed section, the notice does not set out access arrangements. SGN’s roadworks page is where it publishes details of its jobs, and Dorset Highways’ traffic team is on 01305 221020.
  • If you take the bus, services 2, 10 and X51 are diverted along Weymouth Way, and six stops on Dorchester Road go unserved. The details are in the bus section below.
  • Allow more time on the nights of 19 to 23 October. Dorchester Road and the Wessex Stadium roundabout are both due to be shut then, so two of the routes into town will be closed at once.

All of Dorset’s current closures, with dates, are on our Dorset roadworks and travel page. Parking options in the town are on our parking page.

Sources