The government has unveiled a £371M improvement to the A3 at Hindhead, Surrey. The construction will upgrade the London to Portsmouth road from single to dual carriageway, including two new tunnels through the Devil's Punch Bowl, an area of special scientific interest.
The work will remove the current road, which skirts the Devil's Punch Bowl, and introduce several underpasses to allow horse riders, cyclists and pedestrians to cross the new A3 and 7km of cycle track.'This is a scheme that has something for everyone. It will remove the daily congestion and journey unreliability caused by unacceptable bottlenecks around the A3/A287 traffic light-controlled crossroads, benefiting both longer distance drivers and local communities. Air pollution and traffic queues in Hindhead will be significantly reduced and the removal of the old A3 will provide a unique opportunity for environmental regeneration and recreational opportunities. Alongside this, Portsmouth will have its own dual carriageway link to the M25, improving opportunities for the business community,' said government transport minister Stephen Ladyman.Construction will begin in January 2007, with the tunnels opening to traffic in 2011.
You might also like...
Detailed Stonehenge tunnel plans unveiled
Detailed plans for the proposed £1.6bn, 2.9km long, tunnel which will take traffic away from the A303 close the Stonehenge World Heritage Site (WHS) have been released. The scheme now awaits a decision on its development consent order (DCO) application.
M4 relief road row erupts as Severn bridge tolls near end
A row has broken out about the UK government’s motivation in lifting tolls on the Severn bridge.
Contractor wins A9 dualling works
Transport Scotland has awarded the contract for ground works on the A9 dualling project to Fugro GeoServices Ltd from Glen Garry to Crubenmore.
Lower Thames Crossing procurement plan to be revised
A new prior information notice (PIN) for the £6bn Lower Thames Crossing (LTC) based on updated plans after the government pulled the plug on how it will be financed, will be published in January next year.
Have your say
You must sign in to make a comment
Please remember that the submission of any material is governed by our Terms and Conditions and by submitting material you confirm your agreement to these Terms and Conditions. Please note comments made online may also be published in the print edition of New Civil Engineer. Links may be included in your comments but HTML is not permitted.