Improvement work to busy Hampshire road

£8.1 million worth of work to a busy road on the edge of the New Forest is to start next week.

Seven junctions on the A326 between Dibden and Fawley are going to be improved.

The aim is to help ease growing traffic and improve access for people living, working and visiting the area.

The first phase begins on Monday and should be complete by the end of next year.

Councillor Rob Humby, Deputy Leader of Hampshire County Council and Executive Lead Member for Economy, Transport and Environment, said: “This is a major scheme of work and is crucial to enabling increasing volumes of traffic to flow as smoothly as possible in the future.

"I acknowledge there is likely to be some inconvenience while the work is underway, but I know that our highways engineers will do all they can to keep disruption to a minimum. Nonetheless, it is worth anyone travelling in or to the area, planning their journey in advance.

“Improving the A326 is a priority for the County Council, and we are working on options for major improvements to the northern end of the route. However, any improvement to the northern end of the A326 is likely to involve major upgrade works for the road, public transport, and walking and cycling provision, and will need significant Government funding.”

The A326 south upgrade is being funded by the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership’s Growth Fund and Fawley Waterside Limited, to mitigate extra traffic from the Fawley Waterside development and improve access for communities to places of work and education.

The County Council has appointed contractors, Milestone Infrastructure Services, to deliver the scheme. Work will start on Phase One of the A326 Improvement Scheme from Monday 28 June, as follows:

• Dibben Roundabout: Works commence on 28 June with traffic management for a period of nine weeks with a five-week closure of Main Road with a local, signed diversion route;

• Hardley Roundabout: Works due to commence mid/late July with off peak temporary signals on the northern arm of the roundabout for a five-week period;

• Long Copse Lane Roundabout: Works to start in early September for a 12-week period with traffic signals in operation and local and wider area signed diversion routes.

Phase 2 of the scheme is expected to begin later in the year with a view to being completed by late 2022.

This phase will include:

Applemore Roundabout (Sizer Way) - widening of approaches and exit lanes, relocation of National Cycle Network crossing of A326;

Blackfield Road / Church Lane/B3053 - new signalised junction and crossing facilities;

A326 / Holbury Drove and Southbourne Avenue - Capacity improvement and pedestrian crossing facilities;

Dibden Purlieu Roundabout - widening of approaches and exit lanes.

For more information visit the scheme website.

The agreed level of funding for the A326 South scheme is £8.1 million.

Solent Local Enterprise Partnership has provided £5.7 million towards the scheme and Fawley Waterside Limited, which has proposals to transform the old Fawley Power Station site into a residential and commercial waterside community, has provided funding of £2.4 million.

Further contingency arrangements are in place to support scheme delivery.