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Final preparations are under way before a key south-coast motorway is closed for more than 10 days so that a ready-made underpass weighing 8,500 tonnes can be slid underneath the carriageway.
The £100 million project has been launched to upgrade junction 10 of the M27 near Fareham, Hampshire, to allow for increased traffic for the creation of the Welborne Garden Village development, which will provide up to 6,000 new homes, with schools and community services.
The scheme, funded by the developer Buckland Group and Homes England, is being delivered by Hampshire County Council and National Highways.
As part of the works to create an “all-moves” junction, the pre-constructed concrete structure, which is two and a half times heavier than HMS Victory, will be slid 65 metres into a trench cut into the motorway embankment.
The carriageway will then be reconstructed above the new underpass. Credit: PA
The closure of the motorway will take place between junctions nine and 11, from 8pm on Christmas Eve until 4am on 4 January.
Lulu Bowerman, Hampshire County Council’s cabinet member for highways, said: “After months of meticulous planning, we are putting the final preparations in place for what will be a major and complex engineering operation.
“Once the M27 closes from 8pm on Christmas Eve, work will continue around the clock, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to complete the job safely and as quickly as possible.
“The signed diversion route along the A27 will be very busy, so if you are heading out over the festive period, please plan ahead, check your route beforehand, and consider if you need to travel in this area at all.
“The work has been planned at a time when traffic levels are lower, but we appreciate it will cause inconvenience, and we thank everyone for their understanding in advance as we deliver these vital improvements.”
Andrew Jackson, National Highways programme manager, said: “Traffic levels are much lower over the festive period but there will be significant delays, and so our advice is to plan your journeys carefully.
“These works allow us to accelerate this important scheme and stimulate economic growth across the region by supporting the building of up to 6,000 new homes and the creation of thousands of new jobs.”
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