M3 junctions 9 to 14: safety barrier upgrade

Although our smart motorway work has been cancelled following the Government’s latest announcement, we’re continuing to improve safety between junctions 9 and 14 by upgrading the barrier in the central reservation from metal to concrete.

Latest updates

  • 28 September 2023

    Upgrade complete

    Our concrete barrier upgrade work between junction 9 and 14 has now finished.

    We’ve taken away the temporary metal barriers, lane restrictions and speed limits, so you can now drive at 70mph again.

    You may notice that we’ve coned off the hard shoulders. This is so we can finish off some drainage work in the verge.

    The hard shoulder can still be used in an emergency as we’ve placed the cones far enough apart that you can still drive in. 

    We’re aiming to complete this drainage work and remove these cones by the end of November 2023.

    We would like to thank you for your patience whilst we’ve been working here. We know that long periods of roadworks can be frustrating for people travelling though our living alongside them, so thank you for your understanding while we’ve been making these safety improvements.

See more updates

Project information

Overview

The M3 motorway is a key part of the strategic road network and provides a vital economic link from the Midlands (via the A34) and London to the major ports of Southampton and Portsmouth on the south coast (via the M27).

England continues to have some of the safest roads in the world and, compared to other roads, motorways remain the safest roads to travel on.

Although the M3 J9-14 smart motorway upgrade has been cancelled, we'll be carrying out other work including:

  • upgrading the central reservation barrier with a new reinforced concrete barrier to further enhance safety
  • installing new drainage infrastructure in the central reservation
  • replacing central reservation lighting where applicable

Concrete barriers significantly reduce the risk of vehicles crossing over from one carriageway to another. They further improve safety by reducing the duration of incident-related congestion.

As they are virtually maintenance-free, lasting twice as long as the current ones, future requirements for closures for routine repairs will be greatly reduced.

They are part of National Highways’ ongoing work to improve safety, maintain traffic flow and offer road user assurance.

Visit our M3 junctions 9 to 14: smart motorway feedback tool to have your say. The tool includes an interactive map. You can click on a location to make a specific comment, or give us your general feedback.

ECHO is a one-way feedback tool, so if you’d like a response to your feedback you can email the project team at: M3J9-14SmartMotorway@nationalhighways.co.uk

Documents

M3 junction 9 improvements

M27 junctions 4 to 11: smart motorway

Traffic information

Information about scheduled roadworks and events on our motorways and major roads.

Contact us

info@nationalhighways.co.uk

0300 123 5000

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