I guess that the only other way to divide tasks up would be to split them into as many parts as needed. It would make things work (as such) in a programme.
If you used Work % complete, you would be able to allocate work against each split, and then use actual start/finish to give you the correct periods. I suspect this would get complicated very quickly, but it might be the solution that most closely matches the "Best solution" for the programme.

at a more basic level (please don't take this as a criticism, I know what stats are like!) I would consider spending more time on phasing and initial programming. Dividing the works into smaller areas that are achievable would give an easier overall assessment of where you are, and a more viable method of marking work as it is completed. I split between live and tender work, and the value of a well prepared tender programme is huge when it gets to live status.
Preparation is possibly the easiest implementation to the problem, but if this isn't possible, then the multi section tasks would probably be the easiest and most effective way forward.