Hampshire M27 closure: 'Total disaster' traffic congestion warning

Half of the bridge was demolished in September 2018

Motorists have been warned to expect "severe congestion" with the weekend closure of a motorway in Hampshire.

Part of the M27 near Southampton will be shut from Friday evening until Monday morning to allow a bridge to be demolished.

The work coincides with disruption to train services following a derailment at Eastleigh on Tuesday.

Romsey Town Council said traffic could be worse than during the "total disaster" of a closure in 2019.

A new bridge was installed alongside the old one in June 2019

Project manager Andrew Winson said the motorway closure would cause traffic delays

The work is the final stage of a £19m project to replace the A3057 Romsey Road bridge.

Highways England said bearings supporting the 1970s structure had failed and the bridge beams had developed cracks.

A previous weekend closure in June 2019, to install a new bridge alongside the old one, caused gridlock on roads around Southampton.

Motorists have faced a 55-mile diversion route during previous closures

Highways England said the motorway would be shut between Junctions 3 and 4 from about 21:00 GMT on Friday until the early hours of Monday morning.

Project manager Andrew Winson said: "That is expected to cause severe congestion in the area.

"It's going to be a longer operation than when we demolished [the western half of the bridge] in September 2018."

The rail line between Southampton and Basingstoke has been blocked by a derailed freight train

Highways England's westbound diversion route shows the same 55-mile detour via the M3 and the A303 that was implemented for previous phases of the work.

Eastbound traffic would again be diverted through the town of Romsey.

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Romsey town centre manager Mark Edgerley said the congestion would cause "serious inconvenience".

He said: "The previous closure in 2019 was a total disaster.

"I'm expecting it to be worse because there will be a lot of people heading to London who've now not got the train option."

The rail line between Southampton and Basingstoke has been blocked since a freight train derailed on Tuesday.

Network Rail previously said disruption to train services could continue until Monday.