M3 junction 9 - Information Portal

Scheme overview

The M3 connects south Hampshire with London, the Midlands and the North.

The M3 junction 9 experiences significant delays that impact on journey times and the safety of road users. Traffic levels are heavy, especially between the M3 and the A34. More than 6,000 vehicles pass through junction 9 every hour during peak periods. Lengthy queues are common on the northbound off-slip of the M3, the A272 Spitfire Link and Easton Lane.

We’re working to change the junction so that it has free-flowing links between the M3 and the A34 in both directions, as well as:

• improve safety at the junction
• reduce congestion, improving journey times
• provide enhanced options for walkers, cyclists and horse riders
• increase road capacity and support economic growth
• reduce the number of people affected by noise and improve air quality

Our improvements will provide a safer and more integrated network, bringing real benefits to people who use this junction daily.

Scheme details

Our proposals will improve safety, reduce congestion and provide better routes for walkers, cyclists and horse riders.

Key features:

• Free flow links between the A34 and M3 in both directions
• New connection between A33 and M3 northbound
• Increased capacity on the M3 as it travels through the junction and new roundabout layout
• new walking, cycling and horse riding routes
• extended southbound slip onto the M3
• new subway next to the National Highways depot
• superspan gantry and upgrades signage and information boards to match the new road layout

Following our last consultation, we’ve removed the site compound at Christmas Hill and reduced the size of our temporary main compound.

We’ve also adjusted our red line boundary at A34 north and A34 south to exclude Winnall Moors Nature Reserve. This will better protect the local environment, improve biodiversity and reduce our impact on climate change.

Key design changes since the 2021 consultation

Our 2021 consultation showed a broad level of support for the scheme, however some of you had questions about the environment, traffic flows, cycling provisions and the impact on climate change.

Also, in 2022, the Government asked National Highways to pause the development of All Lane Running motorways that were in their early stages. This meant we had to revisit our planned improvements at junction 9 so that they would tie in with the existing road layout.

In our updated design, we’ve…

• adapted our proposed walking, cycling and horse riding routes, adding a new 3.2km route to the west, connecting Kings Worthy and Winnall, and a 1.7km route to the east, connecting Long Walk and Easton Lane
• added a new subway next to the National Highways depot, allowing users to cross the roundabout safely
• extended the southbound slip onto the M3, allowing traffic more time to join the motorway and improve the safety of the junction
• added a superspan gantry to provide safety information to motorists as well as changes in variable speed limits to help traffic flow more smoothly
• revised our directional signage and electronic information boards to match the new road layout

Key environmental changes since the 2021 consultation

Our community consultation exercise revealed that a large percentage of respondents favoured the proposed junction improvements, however some of you wanted to know more about the environmental work we’re doing.

In our updated design, we’ve…

• increased habitat provision for local wildlife, particularly revised earthworks to produce a more sympathetic feature and reinforce the existing characteristics of the South Downs National Park
• removed the site compound at Christmas Hill and reduced the size of our temporary main compound
• adjusted our red line boundary at A34 north and A34 south to exclude Winnall Moors Nature Reserve

The changes we’re making will better protect the local environment, improve biodiversity and reduce our impact on climate change.

We’ve been working closely with stakeholders and local authorities to understand how our scheme can support local nature and wildlife, whilst simultaneously increasing capacity on our network and making the road safer for users.

Development Consent Order process - next steps

Our DCO application was accepted for examination by the Planning Inspectorate on 15 December 2022.

This means we’ve submitted all the information needed for our application to move forward into the pre-examination stage.

Watch our video to learn more about the DCO process:

The Development Consent Order process

Here we explain more about the Development Consent Order (DCO) process and how it works.

There are six stages to a DCO application.