HAMPSHIRE motorways are set to be transformed as part of a £140m investment to improve roads in the South.

Highways England said millions of road-users will get “safer, quicker and easier” journeys as it announced a £142m package of improvements to its roads.

The improvements are set to take place over the next year and include the resurfacing of both the M27 and the M3.

On the M27, between junctions 11 and 12 there is planned to be a “major resurfacing” with low-noise asphalt and on the M3 there will also be a trial using recycled material to resurface part of the road, aimed at reducing carbon emissions and waste.thanks 

Now MP for Southampton Itchen, Royston Smith has said this is “good news” and added that it “shows that the government’s commitment to levelling up is not just about levelling up North but spreading the infrastructure investment around the country.

“Having resurfaced roads around Southampton is very good for travellers. On the edge of my constituency some people are close enough to hear the M27 because that surface has been inappropriate for years.”

Alan Whitehead, MP for Southampton Test also backed the move saying: “We know that the M27 and the M271 are vital roads for the city. They are the particular lifeline to the port and that’s one reason why they get a lot more wear than other motorways.

“So investing in resurfacing and uprating is really good news. What I do hope is that this can be combined with traffic arrangements in the city itself. With a combination of those two I think we’ll be in a good place.”

This comes after years of complaints from residents close to the M27 who said they are unable to sleep because of the noise from traffic.

Leader of Eastleigh Borough Council, Cllr Keith House said however: “Highways England have announced funding for projects around the country but yet again there is no reference to a start date for the noisy concrete section of the M27 where solutions were promised in 2014 but have still not been kept. It’s a continued disgrace and failure from Government”.

In 2014, then MP of Eastleigh, Mike Thornton is said to have secured funding for the resurfacing which was later cancelled according to Eastleigh councillors.