Major M27 closure starts today as drivers warned to plan ahead over Christmas and New Year

This is to enable the installation of a new underpass as part of the M27 Junction 10 improvement scheme. This work, being delivered by Hampshire County Council, will deliver an ‘all-moves’ motorway junction and support the creation of new homes and jobs in the area. 
 
A signed diversion route will be in place along the A27 throughout the closure, but it is expected to be extremely busy.  

Key travel advice for road users: 

- M27 closed in both directions between Junctions 9 (Whiteley) and 11 (Fareham) from 8pm on 24 December to 4am on 4 January. 

- Signed route via A27 – expect severe delays, especially 10am–4pm. 

- Use public transport where possible, travel at quieter times, consider different routes, or ask if your journey is necessary. 

Councillor Lulu Bowerman, Hampshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways, said: “Final preparations are complete, and from 8pm on Christmas Eve, a section of the M27 will close for the delivery of a major engineering operation. Work will continue around the clock to complete the job safely and as quickly as possible. If you are planning festive journeys over the coming days, please plan ahead, check your route, and consider whether you need to travel by road at all. We appreciate this will cause disruption and thank everyone for their understanding as we deliver these vital improvements.”  

Andrew Jackson, National Highways Programme Manager, said: “We have worked closely with Hampshire County Council to prepare for these works and we’ll be working throughout the festive period to manage their impact. Traffic levels are much lower at this time of year but there will inevitably be significant delays at peak times. Our advice is to plan your journeys carefully and, if at all possible, avoid the area. These works allow us to accelerate this important scheme and help stimulate economic growth across the region and the building of up to 6,000 new homes and the creation of thousands of new jobs.” 

Follow progress via Hampshire County Council’s social media and website updates: www.hants.gov.uk/M27-J10-xmas.  

Over the closure period, skilled workers will be working in two twelve-hour shifts, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The operation involves digging out the motorway and embankments and sliding in a pre-constructed concrete box weighing 8,500 tonnes to form a new underpass beneath the M27. The embankments and motorway surface will then be reinstated.  

As one of the UK’s largest engineering projects taking place over the festive period, this scheme is among a select few nationwide to employ the pioneering ‘box slide’ technique. This innovative approach eliminates months of lane restrictions and overnight works, significantly accelerating project delivery.  

A series of complementary highways improvements on and around Junction 10 are being delivered by the County Council to support the development of Welborne Garden Village, which is due to provide up to 6,000 homes alongside schools and community services, just outside Fareham, and to provide better access to the M27.  

The £100 million+ scheme is being delivered by Hampshire County Council, working closely with National Highways. It is fully funded by the Buckland Group, the developer of Welborne Garden Village, and by Homes England. The new underpass will connect Fareham with the Welborne Garden Village development, improving access to the M27 and supporting future growth in the area. 

Under planning conditions for the Welborne development, no more than 1,160 new homes can be occupied until the new ‘all-moves’ Junction 10 on the M27 is completed and operational. 

When open to traffic later in 2026, the underpass will provide two northbound and two southbound lanes connecting with the new entry and exit slip roads. It will also accommodate a shared footway/cycling route connecting with Fareham Common to the south, and the Welborne Garden Village development to the north. 

The two-year construction scheme is due to be open to traffic in winter 2026.