M27 motorway

:"The Soviet motorway M27 connects Sochi, Tbilisi, and Baku."UK motorway routebox
motorway= M27
length-mi= 25
length-km= 40
direction= West - East
start= Cadnam
destinations= Romsey
Southampton
Fareham
end= Portsmouth
opening-date= 1972
completion-date= 1983
junctions= 3 -

The M27 is a motorway in Hampshire, England. It is 25 miles (40 km) long and runs west-east from Cadnam to Portsmouth.

Route

Running approximately parallel both to the coast of the Solent and to the A27, the M27 starts as an eastwards continuation of the A31 from Bournemouth and Poole, meets the A36 from Salisbury, crosses the Wessex Main Line railway, and then meets the M271 to central Southampton. After the M271, the road meets the M3 as it passes to the north of Southampton, passes Southampton Airport, then runs alongside the West Coastway Line as it heads south-east towards Fareham. It then runs alongside the northern outskirts of Fareham before its junction with the M275 to Portsmouth. At this point the motorway ends, becoming the A27.

History

Opening dates

In common with many UK motorways, the M27 was opened in stages between 1975 and 1983 [cite web |url=http://www.iht.org/motorway/m27scmstat.htm |publisher=The Motorway Archive Trust |title=M27 - The South Coast Motorway and A3(M) Statistics and options |accessdate=2007-01-27] .

*Junction 1 to 2 opened in 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 eastbound junction to the now M3 was completed in 1986.

Unfulfilled plans

There have been plans to make the M27 part of a motorway connecting Penzance to Ramsgate. [cite web|url=http://www.cbrd.co.uk/motorway/m27/|title=CBRD Motorway Database - M27|last=Marshall|first=Chris|coauthors=Nigel Le Poidevin, Steve, Dave McGuire, Clive and James Denson|accessdate=2008-09-30] However road developments in the New Forest are restricted due to its National Park status.

The M272 was meant to go from Junction 5 through Portswood to the centre of Southampton, joining with an extended M271 (that would have run a similar route to the A33 today). The M272 was instead built (in much reduced form) as the A335 Thomas Lewis Way.

Junction 6 was never built - there were plans for a motorway spur (probably numbered M273) connecting it to the centre of the Townhill Park area of Southampton [cite web |url=http://chris-roads.fotopic.net/p8364519.html |title=Overall plans for the city |accessdate=2007-01-27] .

The question of what happened to the M274 is unanswered, although it has been suggested that it could have been part of a grander plan for the A32 from Junction 11 (Fareham and Gosport)Specify|date=December 2006.

A planned service area just east of Junction 9 was never constructed. The lengthy westbound exit onto Junction 9 was originally to allow an entrance and exit into the service area [http://motorwayservicesonline.co.uk/unbuilt/meon/] .

The M27 was meant to be extended to Chichester [cite web |url=http://www.pathetic.org.uk/unfinished/m27/|publisher=Pathetic Motorways |title=M27 Portsmouth-Chichester ] , part of this is shown since between Junction 12 and the junction with the A3(M) is built with 3/4 lanes, a hard shoulder and grade-separated junctions. It is, however, not part of the M27 as its hard shoulders are not quite wide enough for Motorway regulations [cite web |url=http://www.iht.org/motorway/m27scoastm.htm |title=M27 - The South Coast Motorway, M271, M275 and A3(M) |publisher= |accessdate=2007-01-25 |quote=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.] . Other suggestions have been that there is a below regulation height footbridge. Another suggestion is that there is not a suitable parallel main road to this short stretch of the A27 - to offer an alternative route for non-motorway traffic. However, the old A27 (Now a B road) does run to the north.Specify|date=December 2006

Future plans

*The motorway is currently being widened to dual 4 lanes between Junctions 3 & 4. Construction is due to be completed March 2009. [cite web |url=http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/projects/5655.aspx |publisher=Highways Agency |title=M27 Jcts 3 - 4 Widening |accessdate=2008-07-25] .

*Climbing lanes are being constructed in both directions between Junctions 11 and 12 to relieve congestion through this stretch of road. The lanes are due to be opened October 2008. [cite web |url=http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/projects/5660.aspx |publisher=Highways Agency |title=M27 Jcts 11-12 Climbing Lanes |accessdate=2008-07-25] .

Junctions

:"NB. There is no junction 6"

Nearby attractions

Junction 1 is about 1 mile from The Rufus Stone, where King William II aka King Rufus was killed in a hunting accident in the year 1100.

Solar Panels

The UK’s first solar motorway sound barrier was installed at Junction 9 in March 2004. The 50 m long solar panel was installed by solarcentury for the Highways Agency. It generates up to 11kW of electricity.

ee also

*List of motorways in the United Kingdom

References

External links

* [http://www.cbrd.co.uk/motorway/m27/ CBRD Motorway Database - M27]
* [http://www.iht.org/motorway/m27scoastm.htm The Motorway Archive - M27]
* [http://www.tab-msas.co.uk/photos/m27.shtml TAB-MSAS: Photo Gallery: M27]