Preferred routes for a bypass, upgrade of the southern half of Newgate Lane and traffic flow improvements to Peel Common Roundabout, all of which will help alleviate traffic coming in and out of Gosport, have been approved.
Costing £30million they are part of a £90million package of works designed to improve traffic flow from Gosport through Fareham and on to the M27. The map shows the routes.
The improvements have now been signed off by Hampshire County Council, thus allowing a planning application to be formally submitted. It has long been the case that the A32 is totally over capacity especially at peak times when people are trying to get to work. Those who need to take a westward journey will be able to use the new bypass thus easing traffic congestion on the A32.
The scheme has been Conservative policy for many years and it thanks to people like Hampshire County Council’s transport boss Cllr Shaun Woodward, Fareham and Gosport’s councillors and of course our MP Caroline Dinenage who has done much to obtain Government funding, that the plans now have an excellent chance of being fully realised. Where the last Labour government said that Gosport was of no strategic significance it is pleasing that the Conservative Government does not dismiss us so readily.
The bypass is also essential for the economic success of the Daedalus Enterprise Zone and securing the 3,000 new jobs planned for the site - of which close to a 1,000 have already been achieved. The scheme has moved to the top of the list in
Hampshire. Already work in Newgate Lane north has begun, this a £5.8m scheme to improve traffic flow through widening the road and eliminating the congestion problem areas such as the roundabouts at the northern end. Improvements Peel Common Roundabout are also due to start before long. A cycle lane is part of the plan to upgrade Newgate Lane and this will please many motorists who have experienced the problems of cyclists on this narrow and busy road.
Government funding has been secured for the work needed to prepare the planning application and there is optimism that the £30million required for the bypass will follow. If all goes well, works could be complete by the end of 2017. With planning permission secured and the work for this this already funded by the Government, the signs are good.
By Councillor Roger P Allen