Public exhibitions are taking place on Friday and Saturday (Sept 29/30), and next week, as part of a consultation on plans for major work to junction 8 of the M27 and the A3024 corridor – Northam Road, Bitterne Road West and Bursledon Road through to Six Dials.

 

Highways England says benefits will include: improved journey time for all road users; reduced congestion on the M27 between junctions 5 and 8; the removal of bottlenecks so traffic flows more smoothly; increasing capacity on the A3024 corridor; improving scope for buses to run more smoothly; and better walking and cycling facilities across the scheme.

Highways England Project Manager Joe Clark said:

“These are an ambitious set of improvements, and are the result of Highways England and local authorities working together to develop a joined up set of improvements that will deliver real benefits to drivers and people living and working in Southampton and Hampshire.

“This proposed scheme will not only improve safety and improve congestion, but also help to boost the economy and support the potential development of homes and jobs in the local area, as well as future growth at Southampton Port. We want people to get involved and I urge anyone interested in the scheme to come along to one of our exhibitions or send us their feedback by picking up a leaflet or visiting the project website.”

According to the consultation brochure, at Bitterne railway bridge one of the possible measures will be “improved facilities [which will] encourage pedestrians and cyclists to use the bridge and wider network of footpaths”.

Capacity

“Increased capacity” is also the goal at Northam Road railway bridge, with “upgraded pedestrian and cycle facilities giving safe access across the bridge and to local community and St Mary’s Football Stadium”.

Air Quality

On air quality – an ongoing concern in the city which has seen the launch of advertising campaigns to raise awareness of the issue this week – the consultation brochure notes: “There is a major problem in some parts of Southampton and surrounding areas, with the city identified as one of the top six cities in the UK with the poorest air quality, often as a result of vehicle emissions. To tackle this Southampton City Council has declared ten Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs), some of which are on or near the scheme. Southampton City Council is also introducing a Clean Air Zone from 2019 and we are considering the wider impacts of the proposed scheme on it.”

Concerns

One local campaigner told bitternepark.info that emerging concerns could be “we will end up with a four lane carriageway from Windhover [roundabout – by Tesco/junction 8] into the city with crossings for pedestrians and cyclists few and far between”, along what is apparently a designated “cycle super-highway”. They said that a more radical approach would be to prioritise reducing traffic going into the city centre.

 

At the Bitterne Road West gyratory – a nightmare to cross on foot at the best of times – local groups are likely to be pressing for ‘simultaneous green/simultaneous red’ lights, enabling walkers and cyclists to cross in any direction at the pedestrian phase of the lights, rather than having to use three toucans to cross from, for example, McNaghten Road to Athlestan Road road as at present.

More information

Exhibitions providing information about the proposed scheme take place on Friday, September 29 from 4pm to 9pm, and Saturday, September 30 from 10am to 4pm at Bitterne Manor Primary School, Quayside Road SO18 1DP.

There’s another chance to find out more on Monday, October 2 and Tuesday, October 3, both from 4pm to 9pm at Northam Community Link, Kent Street, Southampton SO14 5SP

Southampton City Council says the scheme is at an early stage, and views are being invited for six weeks through the consultation, which closes on October 31.

You can read more about the proposals on the consultation brochure (PDF)