M27 to reopen in full following smart motorway work
A new lane will become available for traffic from this weekend
After three years of roadworks, the M27 is to fully reopen - with a new lane becoming available to traffic from this weekend.
National Highways has confirmed that traffic cones and barriers will start to be removed on the 15-mile stretch between junction 4 in Southampton and junction 11 in Fareham on Saturday (February 12th).
Extra safety measures have also been brought in during the project to turn each carriageway of the section into a four-lane 'smart motorway'.
A lower speed limit of 60 mph will remain in place while the technology, which includes stopped vehicle detection, is tested.
That has the power to alert the control centre to when a vehicle has stopped in a lane, allowing signs and signals to be set which closes the lane and assistance to be sent.
Temporary additional CCTV and a free recovery service will also remain in place alongside the new permanent systems during the commissioning period.
Drivers will also be able to use any of the 13 new emergency areas if they need to stop in an emergency. Once the final tests have been completed on stopped vehicle detection, the speed limit will be raised to up to 70mph when junctions 4 to 11 are fully open.
Due to the length of the upgrade, the removal of traffic management will take place over several nights, with all cones lifted by 6am next Friday (February 18th)
National Highways smart motorways programme director David Bray said:
"We are making good progress on completing the upgraded M27 Southampton and Fareham and we are grateful for people's continued patience through our roadworks.
"From 12 February, we are starting to remove the temporary cones and barriers on this stretch of the motorway to open four lanes of traffic.
"While it may appear fully open, this stretch of motorway will continue to have a lower 60mph speed limit in place – which allows us to complete and test the technology, including the stopped vehicle detection system, before it goes live and the scheme is opened. Roadworks must be removed to allow full testing to be completed.
"In the meantime, drivers using the M27 can be reassured that the motorway already has multiple safety features in place while this testing is carried out. This includes 142 CCTV cameras; a dedicated free recovery service with a fleet of 10 vehicles, and the ability to use technology to vary the speed limit and to close lanes using a Red X."
While these tests are completed and until the scheme is open, extra patrols of traffic officers will be in place to help road users, and control room operators will be able to change the speed limit and display warning messages during incidents.
The project is one of a number across the country which has been allowed to continue following a Transport Committee report released last November, which recommended pausing the rollout of smart motorway projects in the UK for five years while extra research is gathered into their safety.
National Highways has said schemes already in construction, of which the M27 is one, are being completed, given they are all over 50% complete, and leaving traffic management in place for the duration of the pause would lead to significant disruption for road users.