Major work on a UK motorway is about to trigger the closure of one of many UK’s busiest stretches of highway this festive interval. The M27 on the south coast will probably be closed for 10 days so {that a} ready-made underpass weighing 8,500 tonnes may be slid beneath the carriageway.
The £100 million mission has been launched to improve junction 10 of the M27 close to Fareham, Hampshire, to accommodate elevated site visitors for the creation of the Welborne Garden Village growth, which is able to present as much as 6,000 new properties, together with colleges and group companies. The scheme, funded by the developer Buckland Group and Homes England, is being delivered by Hampshire County Council and National Highways. As a part of the works to create an “all-moves” junction, the pre-constructed concrete construction, which is 2 and a half instances heavier than HMS Victory, will probably be slid 65 metres right into a trench lower into the motorway embankment.
The carriageway will then be reconstructed above the brand new underpass, throughout the full closure of the motorway between junctions 9 and 11, from 8pm on Christmas Eve till 4am on January 4.
Lulu Bowerman, Hampshire County Council’s cupboard member for highways, stated: “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 supervisor, stated: “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.”
https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/2148799/major-uk-motorway-closing-M27