MORE than £41million will be spent on the major overhaul of a motorway junction.
A huge grant has been awarded to upgrade Junction 10 of the M27 to make way for Welborne Garden Village, which will see 6,000 new homes erected north of Fareham.
Hampshire County Council and Fareham Borough Council will use the £41.25million, granted by Homes England, to construct a new motorway underpass and three new slip roads.
READ MORE: Welborne Garden Village will provide 6,000 homes and almost as many jobs
The works at Junction 10 will be largely undertaken without directly impacting motorway traffic and will follow the completion of National Highways’ Smart Motorway works and also the works to Junction 9.
County councillor Rob Humby said: “We have always supported the development of a new Garden Village at Welborne and always advocated the importance of putting in place the necessary infrastructure and connectivity to leverage the full benefits for the local economy and communities.
“It’s great news that the remainder of the anticipated funding has been secured towards one of the biggest infrastructure investment schemes the County Council has ever progressed. As Highway Authority for the local road network, our transport planners and engineers are very experienced at successfully managing the development and delivery of large transport projects on our own network.
“However, the construction of a motorway underpass on National Highways network, is technically complicated and requires expert and specialist engineering teams.
“Whilst we do not underestimate the magnitude of the task, we are proud to be leading this important milestone project.”
READ MORE: Calls for M27 work to stall over smart motorway safety worries
It is currently anticipated that construction of the new junction would begin in 2023.
Cllr Seán Woodward, executive leader of Fareham Borough Council, said: “This a real landmark day for Welborne. Over the years I have been widely quoted as saying not a brick will be laid of Welborne until all of the necessary infrastructure is identified and funding sources confirmed.
“Funding is now in place for the new junction of the M27 so I am delighted the project can now move forward thanks to the efforts of all partners involved, and in particular the huge support we have received from Government in providing the funding that will make it happen.”
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