The A32 is a road in

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

, southern

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, that links

Gosport Gosport ( ) is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hampshire, England. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 Census, the town had a population of 70,131 and the district had a pop ...

and Alton. Starting at Gosport, facing

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

, it travels north via

Fareham Fareham ( ) is a market town at the north-west tip of Portsmouth Harbour, between the cities of Portsmouth and Southampton in south east Hampshire, England. It gives its name to the Borough of Fareham. It was historically an important manufac ...

, Wickham, Droxford, before joining the A31 road near Alton. The road is long from the seafront at Gosport to the

roundabout A roundabout, a rotary and a traffic circle are types of circular intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junct ...

with the A31 near Alton, and has entirely non- primary status.

Route description

Despite its non-primary status, the road forms the main access to the town of

. At rush-hour times, the road is often extremely congested (northbound in the morning rush, southbound in the evenings) as commuters head through central

from the Gosport peninsula to the M27. The main pinch-point is the long section of road between the Newgate Lane Flyover (junction B3334) and the Quay Street Roundabout in central

where traffic delays often cause northbound tailbacks of at peak times. During the evening rush, traffic can at times back up to the M27 at Junction 11 and along the inside lane of the

motorway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway, and expressway. Other similar terms ...

. There have for many years been plans to provide a

light rail Light rail (or light rail transit, abbreviated to LRT) is a form of passenger urban rail transit that uses rolling stock derived from tram technology National Conference of the Transportation Research Board while also having some features from ...

solution to the traffic problem by utilising the former Gosport to Fareham railway line but this was scrapped in 2005. Part of the former railway line has since been converted for "Eclipse" bus rapid transit routes. The A32 is a popular route for motorcyclists, particularly at weekends; the cafe ( now Loomies, formerly a "

Little Chef Little Chef was a British chain of roadside restaurants; founded in 1958 by Sam Alper and Peter Merchant who were inspired by American Diner, diners. The chain was famous for the "Olympic Breakfast" – its version of a full English breakfast � ...

") where the A272 crosses the A32 at West Meon has become central meeting place for many groups of riders. The historic site of Fort to the south is easily accessed from Wickham and is a popular route for motorcyclists.

Route history

The original 1923 designation of the A32 used to run further north from Alton, terminating at Loudwater, Buckinghamshire on the A40. Southbound, it followed the current A4094 through Bourne End, the current A4155 through Marlow and

Henley-on-Thames Henley-on-Thames ( ) is a town status in the United Kingdom, town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish on the River Thames, in the South Oxfordshire district, in Oxfordshire, England, northeast of Reading, Berkshire, Reading, west of M ...

into

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...

, the current B3031 to Whitley Wood and the current B3349 through Spencers Wood, Riseley and

Hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved/bent back or has a deeply grooved indentation, which serves to grab, latch or in any way attach itself onto another object. The hook's d ...

Junction list

In popular culture

The A32 is referenced in a children's song.

External links

SABRE page on the A32

References

Roads in England Transport in Hampshire {{England-road-stub