M27 motorway
M27 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
M27 highlighted in blue | ||||
Route information | ||||
Maintained by National Highways | ||||
Length | 27.9 mi (44.9 km) | |||
Existed | 1972–present | |||
History | Constructed 1972–83 | |||
Major junctions | ||||
West end | Cadnam 50°55′06″N 1°35′35″W / 50.9182°N 1.5930°W | |||
![]() ![]() J3 → M271 motorway ![]() ![]() J4 → M3 motorway ![]() ![]() J12 → M275 motorway | ||||
East end | Portsmouth 50°50′12″N 1°03′54″W / 50.8366°N 1.0650°W | |||
Location | ||||
Country | Primary destinations Southampton, Fareham, Portsmouth, (Ringwood), (Bournemouth), (Poole), (Salisbury), (Winchester), (Chichester), (Brighton) | | ||
Road network | ||||
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![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/db/M27_From_Portsdown_Hill_-_geograph.org.uk_-_26993.jpg/250px-M27_From_Portsdown_Hill_-_geograph.org.uk_-_26993.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0a/M27_-_geograph.org.uk_-_156928.jpg/250px-M27_-_geograph.org.uk_-_156928.jpg)
The M27 is a
Route
Running approximately parallel both to the coast of the
History
Opening dates
The M27 was opened in stages (in common with many UK motorways) between 1975 and 1983.[3]
- Junction 1 to 2 opened 20 August 1975
- Junction 2 to 4 opened in December 1975
- Junction 4 to 7 opened in 1983
- Junction 7 to 8 opened in February 1978
- Junction 8 to 12 opened in March 1976
The South Stoneham Crematorium, which was located north of South Stoneham Cemetery, was demolished during 1973 to make way for the construction of the M27 motorway. The South Stoneham garden of remembrance is now located at the north end of the cemetery, adjacent to the motorway.[4]
Unfulfilled plans
It has been said[clarification needed] that the M27 was intended as a motorway connecting south coast towns from Penzance to Ramsgate.[5] However the only proposal of a route similar to that was by the Institution of Highway Engineers in 1936.[1][6][7] Road developments in the
The M27 was meant to be extended to Chichester; a sign of this is the width of the A27 road between junction 12 and the junction with the A3(M), which has three or four lanes, a hard shoulder and grade-separated junctions. It is not part of the M27 as its hard shoulders are not quite wide enough to comply with motorway regulations.[1][8]
The M272 was meant to go from junction 5 through Portswood to the centre of Southampton. The M272 was instead built (in much-reduced form) as the
Junction 6 was never built – there were plans for a motorway spur (probably to be numbered M273) connecting the M27 to the centre of the Townhill Park area of Southampton.[2]
A planned
2015 incident
In November 2015, an elderly woman died after falling from the A3057 bridge that crosses over the M27, into westbound traffic, just before junction 3. She had not taken her anti-psychotic medication, and escaped from her Southampton home through an upstairs window before climbing off the garage roof and running away.[11][12]
Smart motorway conversion
In March 2018, work began to convert the section between junctions 11 and 4 to a smart motorway. The scheme will turn the hard shoulder into a permanent fourth running lane, adding refuge areas along the route and installing new CCTV and speed cameras with mandatory variable speed limit signs.
In early January 2019, official work began when average speed cameras were switched on between junctions 5 and 4. Average speed cameras further along on the scheme will be turned on as work continues along the route. The work has suffered repeated delays, originally due to be complete in Spring 2021. The commissioning phase began in mid February 2022, during which time the smart motorway technology will be tested, including stopped vehicle detection radars. This is with a fully open carriageway and a 60 mph (97 km/h) speed limit controlled by electronic signs on new gantries and CCTV and speed cameras. The 60 mph limit was lifted on 29 June 2022 when the upgraded section was fully opened and returned to the
Junctions
![]() | This article contains a bulleted list or table of intersections which should be presented in a properly formatted junction table.(December 2021) |
Data from
M27 motorway junctions | |||||
miles | km | Westbound exits (B carriageway) | Junction | Eastbound exits (A carriageway) | Coordinates |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
0.0 1.2 |
0.0 2.0 |
Road continues as A31 to The WEST, Poole, Bournemouth and Ringwood | Terminus J1 |
50°55′14″N 1°35′23″W / 50.9205°N 1.5896°W | |
Start of motorway | |||||
4.2 4.6 |
6.8 7.4 |
A326
|
J2 | Salisbury, Romsey A36, Fawley A326, Paultons Park | 50°56′45″N 1°31′46″W / 50.9458°N 1.5295°W |
6.6 6.8 |
10.6 11.0 |
M271(S), Romsey M271(N)
|
J3 | Southampton, The Docks M271
|
50°56′45″N 1°28′35″W / 50.9458°N 1.4764°W |
Rownhams Services (Roadchef) | Services | Rownhams Services (Roadchef) | 50°57′26″N 1°26′57″W / 50.9573°N 1.4492°W | ||
9.4 9.8 |
15.2 15.7 |
The MIDLANDS, London, Winchester M3
|
J4 | The MIDLANDS, London, Winchester M3 | 50°57′14″N 1°24′28″W / 50.9539°N 1.4077°W |
11.7 11.9 |
18.9 19.2 |
Southampton, Eastleigh, A335
|
J5 | Southampton, Eastleigh, Airport ![]() |
50°56′58″N 1°22′16″W / 50.9495°N 1.3712°W |
Non- existent | J6 | 'Non-existent' | |||
15.5 15.7 |
24.9 25.2 |
A334
|
J7 | Hedge End, Botley A334 | 50°55′01″N 1°19′03″W / 50.9170°N 1.3176°W |
16.2 17.0 |
26.0 27.4 |
Southampton, East Docks A3024
|
J8 | A3024
|
50°53′54″N 1°18′44″W / 50.8984°N 1.3122°W |
19.9 20.6 |
32.1 33.1 |
Fareham (W) A27, Whiteley | J9 | Fareham (W) A27, Whiteley | 50°52′27″N 1°15′09″W / 50.8743°N 1.2526°W |
23.2 23.5 |
37.4 37.8 |
Alton A32 (No access from A32 to M27) | J10 | No exit | 50°52′00″N 1°10′56″W / 50.8668°N 1.1823°W |
24.4 24.7 |
39.2 39.8 |
Fareham (C) A27, Gosport (A32) | J11 | Fareham (C) A27, Gosport (A32) | 50°51′36″N 1°09′27″W / 50.8600°N 1.1576°W |
27.7 28.1 |
44.6 45.2 |
Ferries M275
|
J12 | Ferries M275
|
50°50′32″N 1°05′34″W / 50.8421°N 1.0927°W |
29.0 | 46.6 | Start of motorway | Terminus | No exit, access to A3 via J12 | 50°55′14″N 1°35′23″W / 50.9205°N 1.5896°W |
Cosham A3(N), Hilsea A3(S) | Road continues as Brighton and London (A3(M))
| ||||
Notes
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1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi |
Nearby attractions
Junction 1 is about 1,800 metres (2,000 yd) (2,400 metres (2,600 yd) by road) from The Rufus Stone, where King William II, also known as William Rufus, was killed in what may have been a hunting accident in 1100.[15]
See also
References
- ^ a b c "M27 Portsmouth-Chichester". Pathetic Motorways.
- ^ a b "Overall plans for the city". Retrieved 27 January 2007.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "M27 – The South Coast Motorway and A3(M) Statistics and options". The Motorway Archive Trust. Archived from the original on 11 March 2007. Retrieved 27 January 2007.
- ^ "South Stoneham Cemetery". Southampton City Council. 13 November 2009. Archived from the original on 16 May 2010. Retrieved 16 November 2009.
- ^ Marshall, Chris; Le Poidevin, Nigel; McGuire, Dave; Denson, James; Steve; Clive. "CBRD Motorway Database – M27". Retrieved 30 September 2008.
- ^ "Appendix A". The post war development of highways. Institution of Highway Engineers. 1943.
- ISBN 978-0-7277-0159-6.
- ^ "M27 – The South Coast Motorway, M271, M275 and A3(M)". Archived from the original on 2 January 2007. Retrieved 25 January 2007.
The land acquired for this stretch of the motorway was not quite wide enough – by less than a foot – and the Chief Highway Engineer of the day, quite rightly if a little pedantically, ruled that it didn't conform to motorway standards and must therefore be an all-purpose trunk road.
- ^ "Pathetic Motorways".
- ^ "Meon". Motorway services online. Retrieved 28 October 2009.
- ^ Reporters, The Daily Telegraph (24 October 2016). "NHS care workers did not aid patient in crisis 'as staff about to go home'". The Telegraph.
- ^ "Bridge fall death a 'wake-up call' for Southern Health". BBC News. 27 October 2016. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
- ^ "M27 junctions 4 to 11: Smart motorway - Highways England". 15 May 2020.
- ^ Area 3 Driver Location Signs (map) – Highway Authority, 2009
- ^ As measured on Google Maps