M27 concrete work to cost additional £30m

Replacing the noisy concrete between junctions 5 and 7 with silent asphalt is expected to cost around £50m.

However, new estimates show a noise reduction project near Hedge End, West End, Eastleigh and Fair Oak could cost up to £82m.

Work was supposed to start this spring, but has now been postponed to autumn.

They follow years of complaints from West Enders who say the noise is preventing them from sleeping.

Eastleigh Conservative MP Paul Holmes told Echo the increase was due to “inflationary pressures” as well as the need for work.

“It’s actually a huge job. In some places, concrete is not just a surface,” he said.

“They will have to remove a rather thick concrete base. I think that’s why the cost of the project is around £82 million.”

READ MORE: Work to update the surface of the M27 to make it “quieter” received the go-ahead

However, the head of the Eastleigh city council, Clair Keith House, has lashed out at the government, saying that funding for the project was secured in 2014 under Mike Thornton, Mr Holmes’ Liberal Democratic predecessor.

“This never-ending story of delays in repairing the M27 to finally reduce noise for local residents is a shame,” he said.

“Since then we have had so many promises and they have all been broken.

“What’s worse is that it will now be much more expensive and create another 18 months of traffic jams that could have been avoided if the work had been done as part of the Smart Highway project.

Drainage and central redundancy work will be carried out concurrently with the project, which is expected to last 18 months.

This is part of a £400 million government program to refurbish concrete roads across the UK.

National Highways has previously said that initial refurbishment will begin in January 2022, with the actual resurfacing to begin this spring. But the exact date has not yet been set.

During a visit to Eastleigh earlier this week, Roads Minister Richard Holden confirmed that work would begin in the fall.

He said: “It’s just unbelievable how noisy it is. I’m glad this is happening. Sorry it’s a little delayed.”

Mr Holmes said workers were preparing the site last year and resurfacing should be completed by early 2025.

He said the disruption should be “minimal”: only one lane of the motorway can be closed at a time.

Katarina Saradinova, National Highways interim service delivery manager, said: “We are making good progress with the detailed design of the scheme and we look forward to providing more information on what it will look like by the end of May.

“The budget is estimated to be around £80m which is subject to change depending on the details.”