Isle of Wight news readers using the M3 near Winchester face a full weekend closure from 21:00 BST on Friday until 06:00 GMT on Monday. National Highways is closing the road between junctions 8 and 9 so crews can demolish the old junction 9 gyratory bridges.
The work is part of a £290m rebuild of junction 9 that National Highways says is halfway complete and due to finish in summer 2028. Drivers will be sent along a signed diversion route while crews work 24-7 throughout the whole weekend.
Daniel Kittredge on junction traffic
Daniel Kittredge, the senior project manager, said the junction carries traffic north from Southampton and Portsmouth, including haulage traffic. He said: “A lot of traffic comes north from Southampton and Portsmouth, a lot of hauliers.”
He said the aim is for traffic to move more freely once the rebuild is done. “They'll be able to flow freely through the junction.”
M3 work through November
This weekend’s shutdown will bring down the northern bridge. National Highways has set a second closure for 6 to 9 November, when the southern bridge will be demolished at the same times.
The rebuild is designed to widen the M3 to four lanes in each direction and create free-flowing links between the A34 and M3 through two underpasses. Once that work is complete, drivers will no longer need to use the roundabout to switch between those roads.
The scheme also includes new routes for walkers, cyclists and horse riders, plus a new footbridge over the River Itchen. The northbound entry slip road at junction 9 has been shut since July and is due to reopen in winter 2027.
For drivers, the immediate task is simple: avoid the closure window if the journey can be moved, and follow the signed diversion route if travel through junction 8 to junction 9 cannot wait.
