Today, the Government confirmed that it will provide the funding necessary to complete the long-awaited Stubbington Bypass.
Communities Secretary, Sajid Javid MP, announced the Local Growth Deal allocations to Local Enterprise Partnerships up and down the country. The Solent LEP will receive £31.02 million, providing sufficient funds to build the Stubbington Bypass.
Local MP, Caroline Dinenage, a strong campaigner for improved access to the Gosport peninsula, has welcomed the news.
"I am delighted that this much-needed road improvement project will be delivered. The Stubbington Bypass is a critical part of the solution to our area's traffic problems, which is why I have campaigned for investment in the project ever since I was first elected. This new strategic route is essential to meet the needs of long-suffering residents and commuters, who put up with terrible congestion on a daily basis. It will transform connectivity of the Solent Enterprise Zone and the wider Gosport peninsula, breaking down a key barrier to our area's economic regeneration."
The Bypass scheme involves a package of transport infrastructure improvements including:
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A new 3.5km long single carriageway road that will run south of Fareham and north and east of Stubbington, bypassing the existing B3334 through Stubbington;
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New junctions at either end of the Bypass and at Peak Lane;
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Junction and link improvement works at either end of the bypass on B3334 Titchfield Road and B3334 Gosport Road;
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Supporting highway improvement works in Stubbington village;
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and New / improved / modified facilities for pedestrians and cyclists.
The total project cost is £34.2m. An £8.5m contribution from the local roads authority, Hampshire County Council, was confirmed in summer 2016, meaning £25.7m was required from central Government to complete the project.
It is estimate that the project will unlock £200m of private sector leverage. In addition, traffic studies show that half of cars leaving Gosport heard west on M27 towards Southampton. A new peninsula access route will help take cars off of the A32, therefore supporting the whole Gosport peninsula.
Since becoming elected, Caroline has tirelessly lobbied for this investment and has prioritised tackling road congestion problems in the Gosport constituency. In 2013, she welcomed the former Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin MP, and the former Transport Minister, Norman Baker MP, to the area. Last year, she held high-level meetings with the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government to make the case for funding to complete the bypass.
As a result, Caroline was pivotal in securing the Enterprise Zone status for Daedalus airfield as well as an £8.5 million package for work on Newgate Lane, which began in January 2014. Last year, Caroline helped secure the £19.7m Government funding package for the preliminary bypass work. This secured planning permission and additional road improvements in the Gosport & Fareham area.
Caroline has also held frequent meetings with the Solent LEP and Hampshire County Council to encourage these local stakeholders to maintain the bypass project at the top of their agenda.
