Weymouth Relief Road could be completed early

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Weymouth Relief Road ahead of schedule!

Part of the work on the £87m Weymouth Relief Road in Dorset has been completed ahead of schedule, fuelling speculation that it could be finished early.

A period of good weather has meant construction work on the new route between Weymouth and Dorchester has been completed ealier than planned. The new road is set to open in 2011 but builders Skanska, said it may open by late 2010, well in time to provide access to the 2012 Olympic sailing events to be held in Weymouth.

The Weymouth Relief Road attracted much interest last month when archaeologists discovered an ancient burial pit containing 51 dismembered skeletons. Skulls, rib cages and leg bones, thought to be from young men, were arranged in separate parts of the pit.

Originally it was thought the burial site on Ridgeway Hill, near Weymouth dated from the Iron Age (from BC 800) to early Roman times (from AD 43) but radio carbon dating showed the remains dated between AD 890 and AD 1030.

Archaeologists said they appeared to have been victim of a "catastrophic event" such as a mass execution.