Today, Local MP, Caroline Dinenage, joined Hampshire County Council, the Solent LEP & contractors BAM Nuttall to mark the start of the work on the new Gosport Access Road (Stubbington Bypass).
The new road scheme was developed in order to reduce journey times and peak time traffic jams in Gosport’s famously congested peninsula access roads. It is hoped that this infrastructure improvement should encourage further investment and regeneration into the area, especially at the Solent Enterprise Zone and improve the local environment, with better access for pedestrians and cyclists.
Caroline, a strong campaigner for improved access to the Gosport peninsula, has welcomed the news:
“I have tirelessly campaigned for this critical part of the solution to our local road nightmares, it’s so good to see the spades finally going into the ground!
“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:
- 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;
- New junctions at either end of the Bypass and at Peak Lane;
- Junction and link improvement works at either end of the bypass on B3334 Titchfield Road and B3334 Gosport Road;
- Supporting highway improvement works in Stubbington village; and
- New / improved / modified facilities for pedestrians and cyclists.
Since becoming elected, Caroline has tirelessly lobbied for this investment and has prioritised tackling road congestion problems in the Gosport constituency. Over the years she has welcomed numerous Transport Ministers to the area to make the case for road investment. In 2016, she held high-level meetings with the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which 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.
In February 2017 the Government confirmed that it would 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 receiving £31.02 million, providing sufficient funds to build the Stubbington Bypass.
In October 2019 the Transport Secretary gave the project approval.
Work is due to be completed in Spring 2022. For more information about the Construction programme visit https://documents.hants.gov.uk/transport/transportschemes/StubbingtonBypass-meetthecontractoreventexhibitionboards.pdf
