The M27, the motorway connecting Southampton and Portsmouth will undergo a £1.5 Billion upgrade. Highways England have announced that from Junction 11 in Fareham to Junction 4 the M27 will have a 4th lane added and "smart motorway" features added to relieve congestion and improve traffic flow.
The investment has been welcomed by Suella Fernandes, MP for Fareham. Speaking to the Portsmouth News, Suella stated "Good roads are vital for enabling businesses to grow, supporting the regional economy and improving people’s quality of life.
‘But for years chronic congestion along parts of the M27 has been a major concern for local people, it’s become one of the top issues people in Fareham contact me about.
‘So I absolutely welcome the news that work to upgrade the M27 to a smart motorway will start in early 2018 – which will cut congestion and improve journey times.
‘Turning the stretch from Junction 4 to Junction 11 M27 into a smart motorway means people will have more efficient, reliable and safer journeys – we’ve seen smart motorways work very well in other parts of the country, like on the M42 and M25.
‘This highlights the government’s commitment to invest in and improve our transport infrastructure, support growth and bring jobs to Fareham and the South.’
Since being elected to Parliament in 2015, Suella has campaigned passionately on bringing investment to Fareham to relieve congestion and improve transport links.
The future developments at Welborne and North Whitely have led to concerns regarding traffic on the M27. Many local people have complained of journey times from Fareham to Southampton of at least an hour, and up to two hours during busy periods – a journey that takes only 20 minutes without traffic. Many of these concerns centre of the Whitely Junction 9 exit, where daily traffic jams and queues extend from the slip road onto the motorway at rush hour times. This has been reported travelling both East and West on the motorway to Fareham and Hedge End respectively.
I know residents are also concerned about Junction 10, particularly in light of the new Welborne development. Many have expressed a need for works to the junction to update the infrastructure to ensure a minimal impact from the extra cars that will be using the junction after the development.
This situation impacts significantly on quality of life and economic productivity, and I believe it is vital that the M27 is updated to prevent the delays that have become an everyday occurrence for many commuters. I am continuing to lobby Transport ministers and the local authority to ensure this becomes a priority, and have welcomed the announcement of increased spending on road improvements by the government.
To read more on Suella's campaign on improving Infrastructure and Transport then visit her website suellafernandes.co.uk
Work will begin to the M27 early 2018, and is scheduled to be completed in 2020.