More M27 roadworks as Welborne slip roads needed

The grant is set to fund an upgrade to junction 10 of the M27 which would allow access to the Welborne development

Further roadworks are expected on the M27 as local councils have received a £41.25m grant.

Hampshire County Council intends to use the money from Homes England to upgrade junction 10.

The work will include a new motorway underpass and three new slip roads to allow access to the Welborne Garden Village development in Fareham.

It comes after work to reopen an upgraded section of the M27 started in February.

Transport bosses hope the work can be undertaken without directly impacting motorway traffic and will follow the completion of the smart motorway works at junction 9.

Analysis

By Paul Clifton, BBC South transport correspondent

For three years, drivers on the M27 between Portsmouth and Southampton have endured the construction of a smart motorway. It has only been open for a month.

Soon the cones will be back for the noisy old concrete road surface around Eastleigh to be replaced by tarmac.

Now the cones will be back for a third time for a new junction near Fareham.

Smart motorways, resurfacing, an improved junction for new housing, each come from different budgets led by different teams working on different timescales. But it's the same M27 motorway.

Wouldn't it have been more driver-friendly, more efficient, and cheaper, to do all those jobs at the same time when the cones are already out?

Hampshire County Council's deputy leader, Councillor Rob Humby, said the authority supported the Welborne development and "always advocated the importance of putting in place the necessary infrastructure".

He added: "The construction of a motorway underpass... is technically complicated and requires expert and specialist engineering teams.

"Whilst we do not underestimate the magnitude of the task, we are proud to be leading this important milestone project."

Hampshire County Council said the works were currently awaiting approval but hoped construction for the new junction would begin in 2023.