M3 Junction 9 funding approved with works to take 3 years

Backed by £290m of Government money it hopes that the scheme will hasten journeys, reduce the current bottleneck, and save commuters, businesses, and tourists hundreds of hours each week.

To mark this, the Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander, will visit Junction 9 today (Thursday, March 13) to mark the approval of the scheme and understand its impact on the local economy.

CGI of the updated Junction 9 (Image: National Highways) READ MORE: New drive-thru Greggs taking shape as bike rack mounted and sign installed

She said: “Anyone who uses this junction knows how frustrating it can be. But our £290m investment will save thousands of hours for commuters, tourists and freight every week, unlocking the true potential of our ports to deliver economic growth.

“We’re building rather than blocking, so that we can get our economy growing. Approving these works, and the 2,000 homes it will support, is just another milestone on the way to delivering 1.5 million homes in this Parliament as part of our Plan for Change.

“This Government is investing in vital road schemes with huge economic benefits, and so far, we’ve invested half a billion pounds for six schemes across England to renew our long-neglected national infrastructure.”

It is hoped that the new design will also improve safety by extending the southbound slip road onto the M3 so traffic has more time to join the motorway.

The government is providing £290 million for the scheme which is expected to generate millions more for the local economy.

The works are due to start next month and are expected to last for three years.

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As well as faster journeys, drivers in Hampshire are also set to benefit from improved road surfaces, thanks to a recently announced £52.9 million uplift in highway maintenance funding for Hampshire. This is part of the government’s £1.6 billion investment to fill the equivalent of 7 million potholes and repair roads across England.

The government says it aims to reduce the traffic impact of the new 2,000-home Kings Barton development.

The scheme will see the number of lanes on the M3 increased from three to four through the junction, as it passes under a wider gyratory, with free-flowing links between the M3 and the A34 in both directions.

Several new routes for pedestrians, cyclists, and horse riders will also be built, connecting Kings Worthy and Winnall and Long Walk and Easton Lane.

Green campaigners have long argued that in time the work will simply attract more traffic as with the M3 extension through Twyford Down in the early 1990s.