Bridge project

My drive into Southampton this afternoon was easy enough, despite bridge work over the M27 motorway. But come this weekend severe congestion is being predicted when road engineers close the motorway. The bridge which carries the main A3057 road from Romsey into Southampton and crosses the motorway at Nursling, just outside the city, is to be replaced.

That means taking apart and demolishing the existing bridge and replacing it with a new one built in a compound alongside the highway. But engineers warn that the motorway will be closed this weekend from September 28 until early morning on October 1.

But that will not be the end of the interruption to traffic under the £19 million replacement project , with more closures scheduled in the Spring and again in a year’s time.

On my journey today I faced a delay of no more than a few minutes while one side of the bridge was closed and traffic controlled by temporary lights.