Damian Hinds has welcomed the announcement of £1.4 billion of new investment in infrastructure across the South East – helping to deal with problems on the roads and supporting jobs and growth.
This is the biggest investment in roads in a generation and will update major corridors in and around the South East region, including the M25, A27 and A34.
Damian is particularly pleased with the announcement that the A34, the main route from the Midlands to Southampton, will see investment of £30 million to ensure a crucial freight link, important for the Hampshire economy. This work is expected to begin between 2015 and 2018. Moreover, Junction 9 of the M3 is set to get a package of improvements to allow free movement from the A34 to the M3, with work beginning between 2018 and 2020. This will include new links and widening and the widening and remodelling of junction 9 to allow more free-flowing connections and reduce congestion.
This is part of a £15.2 billion Roads Investment Strategy setting out how the government will invest in the roads network in England between 2015/16 and 2020/21 – with over 100 major schemes planned in total.
Damian said:
“This is great news for motorists and businesses in East Hampshire. The 18 new schemes announced across the South East will go a long way to dealing with historic underinvestment and help underpin the continuing improvement in the regional economy. In particular, I think anyone who uses M3 Junction 9 coming from Alton on the A31 or Petersfield on the A272 will welcome the prospect of vital improvement in a few years."