M27 junctions 4 to 11: smart motorway

We're converting the M27 between junction 4 (M3 interchange) and junction 11 (Fareham) by turning the hard shoulder into a permanent running lane, making a dual four-lane motorway.

Start date Started

End date July - September 2021

Cost £244 million

Latest updates

16 October 2020

Road closures to allow gantry installation

The M27 to the west of the Hamble Bridge between junction 8 (Bursledon) and junction 9 (Park Gate) will be reduced from three lanes to two on the westbound carriageway this weekend in preparation for the installation of a new gantry.

One westbound lane will be closed between 6am until 8pm on both Saturday 17 October 2020 and Sunday 18 October 2020. The lane reduction will be in place for the safety of our workforce as well as road users. Three lanes will be open at all other times throughout this period.

This activity will involve a piling rig, inserting interlocking sheets into the soil to enable the installation of gantry sign posts. This work is known as ‘sheet piling’.

The work was originally planned to take place overnight, but following sheet piling work at a number of other locations, and the impact that this activity can cause to local communities when carried out overnight, the programme has been changed so that this work can take place during the day.

We provide live traffic information via our traffic pages, local and national radio travel bulletins, electronic road signs and mobile apps. Local Twitter services are also available at @HighwaysSEAST.
26 August 2020

North Fareham footbridge installation

As we continue to upgrade the M27 between junctions 4 and 11 to modern motorway standards, we will be installing the new North Fareham footbridge, which will be situated between junctions 10 and 11 of the M27.

The bridge installation will require a full closure of the M27 between junctions 9 and 11 from Friday 4 September at 9.00pm until Monday 7 September at 6.00am. This closure will include access off and onto the M27 at junction 10. Once the footbridge has been installed, we’ll be able to re-open the motorway again.

The bridge installation is taking place overnight, as we need to install the footbridge as quickly and safely as possible. There is less traffic at night, which allows us to close the motorway with reduced impact for the travelling public, and we need to work through the night in order to allow us to re-open the motorway, as soon as the installation is complete.

We apologise in advance for any disturbance caused, as the bridge installation may be noisy at times, and we have written to local residents to inform them of this installation in advance.

The closure dates may be subject to change owing to operational requirements or adverse weather conditions. Diversion routes will be clearly signposted.

We would advise road users to plan their journeys in advance by visiting the Traffic England website or by following our Twitter feed: @HighwaysSEAST
29 June 2020

Bored piling

We will be undertaking preparatory works to accommodate the installation of new gantries between junction 4 and junction 11.

This activity will take place at 23 additional locations between junction 4 and junction 11 from 29 June 2020 to 10 August 2020. Bored piling will now be undertaken overnight between 8.00pm and 6.00am the following morning due to operational requirements which don’t enable bored piling and earthwork activities to take place at the same location during the same day.

Further closures will be required for bored piling activities, and we will communicate these when the dates are confirmed.

All dates may be subject to change owing to operational requirements or adverse weather conditions. We advise you to plan your journeys in advance. For up to date details of closures by visiting our Traffic England website or following our regional Twitter feed.
03 June 2020

Traffic management switch

We will be continuing with the switching of our traffic management from the central reserve to the verges of the M27 from junction 9 to junction 11. When complete, the switch will allow us to work safely in the verges beside the motorway, while allowing road users to continue to use three lanes in both directions during the day.

The traffic management switch between junction 9 and junction 11 will re-start on 29 June 2020 and is expected to end on Monday 6 July 2020. All work will take place overnight, between 8pm and 6am the following day under full carriageway closure.

See more updates

Project information

The M27 smart motorway scheme stretches from junction 4 (M3 Interchange) to junction 11 (Fareham), and will directly connect to the M3 junction 9 (Winchester / A34 Interchange) to junction 14 (M27) smart motorway scheme. The scheme is 24km (15 miles), and all links on the M27 between junction 4 to 11 will be upgraded to smart motorway, dual four all-lane running. The hard shoulder will be retained between junctions 7 and 8.

The scheme will involve:

permanent conversion of the hard shoulder to create a fourth lane and changing the junction slip roads to accommodate this
new CCTV cameras and electronic information signs and signals on gantries - these will show variable mandatory speed limits and manage traffic flow and incidents
emergency refuge areas throughout the length of the scheme
the hardening of the central reserve and installation of a reinforced barrier to improve safety

The aims of this scheme are to:

reduce congestion and smooth the flow of traffic by turning the hard shoulder into a permanent running lane
improve journey time reliability on the strategic road network
support the economy and facilitate economic growth by providing increased capacity on the motorway
continue to deliver a high level of safety performance on the network using smart motorway techniques
minimise environmental impacts of the scheme and where possible allow for enhancements to be made to the environment