£42m bypass officially open for motorists after final checks
THE Stubbington Bypass was opened for motorists yesterday afternoon.
Hampshire County Council has announced that the bypass, which was officially completed last week, is now open to the public.
Traffic cones and fencing still barricaded the bypass in the morning, due to constructionworkers carrying out final checks on the road.
The 5.5km stretch of highway, which links Gosport Road to Titchfield Road, was designed to ease congestion in Stubbington while improving commuting times and air quality.
Fareham Borough Council leader, Cllr Sean Woodward, has described the bypass as the 'final piece of the puzzle' for Fareham and Go sport, after £100 mo fin vestment into highwaysand transportation in the region. In addition to the Stubbington bypass, Hampshire County Council has invested in the Eclipse Bus Rapid Transit route, upgrades to Newgate Lane, Peel Common roundabout and improvements to the A27.
At the opening event last week, Stubbington residents were thanked for their patience during the bypass' construction.
Leader of Hampshire County Council, CllrRobH um by, said: 'Whenever you do a big project like this there's always interruptions while the construction work takes place.
'I know it has been difficult for them and I am grateful for their patience.'
Residents themselves are hopeful that the bypass will alleviatesome of the current traffic problems-but not without reservations.
Concerns have been raised about merging at the T itch field Road end, and about only havingsingle carriageways in each direction. The bypass has taken two years to build, but a further ten years of government lobbying took place to secure the funding.
Overall, the £42m came from the county council, Department for Transport and the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).
It is hoped that the new bypass will also invite business investment, expanding the current Solent Enterprise Zone.
To facilitate the finishing touches to the overall scheme temporary traffic lights are operate at the junction of T itch field Road with Bridge Street, with other temporary traffic control measures also in place at T itch field Road and Go sport Road.