A motorway used by more than 140,000 people a day is facing two weeks of travel chaos, as the road surface is renewed.
Closures begin from 9pm tomorrow and will continue until 6am on Sunday, October 27. The disruption is likely to affect families trying to get away for the half term holidays at the end of the month. The last Friday of term is notorious from motorway hold ups. The M27 motorway serves Southampton, Portsmouth and nearby Paultons Park, home to World.
The M27, which serves large parts of Hampshire, will have "essential carriageway work". National Highways says the main focus of work will involve the closure of junction 7 of the M27 eastbound exit for an extended period. It will allow workers to install "new low noise asphalt" and "raise the gradient of the slip road by 180mm to ensure it matches the new motorway surface".
National Highways' programme delivery manager Richard Scrase said: “Initially we planned two full weekend closures of the exit slip road but thanks to the efforts of everyone involved we have been able to reduce this to one full closure combined with overnight works.
“I would like to apologise in advance for any delays our work may cause. The slip road closures are essential to allow us to improve the quality of the road surface - the new low-noise surface will benefit both communities living near to the motorway and those traveling on it for many years to come.”
Derek MacMillan, senior works manager for the contractor, Morgan Sindall, told to the : "We're overlaying the tarmac onto a binder that's going on top of the existing concrete. Up to 150 people are working in shifts, night and day. The job's going to go on until spring next year."
Day and night full closures will affect the M27 Junction 7 eastbound exit slip road, between Tuesday, October 15 at 9pm until 6am on Saturday, October 19.
Weeknight closures will take place between Tuesday, October 15 at 9pm until 6am on Friday, October 18 at M27 junction 5 eastbound entry and exit slip roads, M27 junction 7 eastbound entry and exit slip roads and M27 junction 8 eastbound exit slip road.
Weeknight closures will also take place between Saturday, October 19 at 9pm until 6am on Sunday, October 27 at M27 junction 5 eastbound entry and exit slip roads, M27 junction 7 eastbound exit slip road and M27 junction 8 eastbound exit slip road
Drivers travelling on the eastbound carriageway will not be able to exit at junctions 5, 7 or 8 if travelling in the contraflow lane. This applies to both daytime and overnight lane closures from Tuesday, October 15 to Sunday, October 27,
