The M27 is a

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 ...

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, ...

, England. It is long and runs between

Cadnam Cadnam is a village situated in Hampshire, England, within the boundaries of the New Forest National Park. The village has existed since the medieval period, when it was (and still is) an important crossroads between Southampton and the towns of ...

and

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 was opened in stages between 1975 and 1983, providing the largest two urban areas in

(

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

and

) with a direct motorway link. An extension into the county of

West Sussex West Sussex is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Surrey to the north, East Sussex to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Hampshire to the west. The largest settlement is Cr ...

was planned but never constructed. A number of smaller motorways were proposed, connecting the city centres of

and

to the motorway; of these only the M271 and M275 were built. Three sections of the M27 have since been widened to four lanes each way, the first between junctions 7 and 8, the second between junctions 3 and 4, and the third begins at the slip road where junction 11 joins until mid-way to junction 12.

Route

Running approximately parallel both to the coast of the

Solent The Solent ( ) is a strait between the Isle of Wight and mainland Great Britain; the major historic ports of Southampton and Portsmouth lie inland of its shores. It is about long and varies in width between , although the Hurst Spit whi ...

and to the A27, the M27 starts as an eastwards continuation of the A31 from

Bournemouth Bournemouth ( ) is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area, in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. At the 2021 census, the built-up area had a population of 196,455, making it the largest ...

and

Poole Poole () is a coastal town and seaport on the south coast of England in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area in Dorset, England. The town is east of Dorchester, Dorset, Dorchester and adjoins Bournemouth to the east ...

, at

in the

New Forest The New Forest is one of the largest remaining tracts of unenclosed pasture land, heathland and forest in Southern England, covering southwest Hampshire and southeast Wiltshire. It was proclaimed a royal forest by William the Conqueror, featu ...

. The motorway meets the A36 from

Salisbury Salisbury ( , ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers River Avon, Hampshire, Avon, River Nadder, Nadder and River Bourne, Wi ...

, crosses the

Wessex Main Line The Wessex Main Line is the railway line from Bristol Temple Meads to Southampton Central. Diverging from this route is the Heart of Wessex Line from Westbury to Weymouth. The Wessex Main Line intersects the Reading to Taunton Line at and ...

railway, and then meets the M271 to central

. After the M271, the road becomes a dual four lane motorway and passes

Rownhams services Rownhams services is a motorway service station on the M27 motorway, close to the junction for the M271 motorway which leads into Southampton. It is owned by Roadchef. History The nearby village did not realise how close that the M27 motorway w ...

, it then meets the M3, (two lanes going off, two lanes continuing to the other side of the junction) reverting to a dual three lane motorway as it passes to the north of Southampton, passes

Southampton Airport Southampton Airport is an international airport located in both Eastleigh and Southampton, Hampshire, in England. The airport is located north-northeast of central Southampton. The southern tip of the runway lies within the Southampton u ...

, meeting junction 7 and becoming dual four lanes again, then becoming dual three lanes after junction 8, it then runs alongside the

West Coastway Line The West Coastway line is a railway line in England linking the conurbations of Brighton/Hove/Littlehampton and Southampton/Portsmouth. It has short southward branches to Littlehampton and Bognor Regis, which offer direct services to and from ...

as it heads south-east towards

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 ...

. It then runs alongside the northern outskirts of Fareham, briefly with a fourth climbing lane in either direction, before its junction with the M275 to

. Very shortly after this point the motorway ends, becoming the A27, a four lane dual carriageway almost to motorway standards until the junction with the A3 (M) motorway. The official reason for this section of road not being a continuation of the motorway is the

hard shoulder A shoulder (American English), hard shoulder (British English) or breakdown lane (Australian English) is an emergency stopping lane by the verge on the outer side of a road or motorway. Many wider freeways, or expressways elsewhere have should ...

s being too narrow. Although the M275 which the M27 junctions with, has no hard shoulders along its entire length.

History

Opening dates

The M27 was opened in stages (in common with many UK motorways) between 1975 and 1983. *Junction 1 to 2 opened 20 August 1975 *Junction 2 to 4 opened in December 1975 *Junction 4 to 7 opened in 1983 *Junction 7 to 8 opened in February 1978 *Junction 8 to 12 opened in March 1976 The South Stoneham Crematorium, which was located north of South Stoneham Cemetery, was demolished during 1973 to make way for the construction of the M27 motorway. The South Stoneham garden of remembrance is now located at the north end of the cemetery, adjacent to the motorway.

Unfulfilled plans

It has been said that the M27 was intended as a motorway connecting south coast towns from

Penzance Penzance ( ; ) is a town, civil parish and port in the Penwith district of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is the westernmost major town in Cornwall and is about west-southwest of Plymouth and west-southwest of London. Situated in the ...

Ramsgate Ramsgate is a seaside resort, seaside town and civil parish in the district of Thanet District, Thanet in eastern Kent, England. It was one of the great English seaside towns of the 19th century. In 2021 it had a population of 42,027. Ramsgate' ...

. However the only proposal of a route similar to that was by the Institution of Highway Engineers in 1936. Road developments in the

are also restricted due to its

national park A national park is a nature park designated for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes because of unparalleled national natural, historic, or cultural significance. It is an area of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that is protecte ...

status. The M27 was meant to be extended to

Chichester Chichester ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in the Chichester District, Chichester district of West Sussex, England.OS Explorer map 120: Chichester, South Harting and Selsey Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher ...

; a sign of this is the width of the A27 road between junction 12 and the junction with the

A3(M) The A3, known as the Portsmouth Road or London Road in sections, is a major road connecting the City of London and Portsmouth passing close to Kingston upon Thames, Guildford, Haslemere and Petersfield. For much of its length, it is classified ...

, which has three or four lanes, a hard shoulder and grade-separated junctions. It is not part of the M27 as its hard shoulders are not quite wide enough to comply with motorway regulations. The M272 was meant to go from junction 5 through Portswood to the centre of Southampton. The M272 was instead built (in much-reduced form) as the A335 Thomas Lewis Way. Junction 6 was never builtthere were plans for a motorway spur (probably to be numbered M273) connecting the M27 to the centre of the

Townhill Park Townhill Park is a suburb of Southampton, England, bordering Swaythling, Bitterne Park and West End. It is built on land which once belonged to the house which carries the same name. History The Manor of Townhill was granted to ...

area of Southampton. A planned service area just east of junction 9 was never constructed. The long westbound exit slip road at junction 9 was designed to allow an entry to and exit from the service area.

2015 incident

In November 2015, an elderly woman died after falling from the A3057 bridge that crosses over the M27, into westbound traffic, just before junction 3. She had not taken her anti-psychotic medication, and escaped from her Southampton home through an upstairs window before climbing off the garage roof and running away.

Smart motorway conversion

In March 2018, work began to convert the section between junctions 11 and 4 to a

smart motorway A smart motorway (formerly managed motorway), also known in Scotland as an intelligent transport system, is a section of motorway in the United Kingdom that employs active traffic management (ATM) to increase capacity. Technologies used includ ...

. The scheme will turn the hard shoulder into a permanent fourth running lane, adding refuge areas along the route and installing new CCTV and speed cameras with mandatory variable speed limit signs. In early January 2019, official work began when average speed cameras were switched on between junctions 5 and 4. Average speed cameras further along on the scheme will be turned on as work continues along the route. The work has suffered repeated delays, originally due to be complete in Spring 2021. The commissioning phase began in mid February 2022, during which time the smart motorway technology will be tested, including stopped vehicle detection radars. This is with a fully open carriageway and a speed limit controlled by electronic signs on new gantries and CCTV and speed cameras. The 60mph limit was lifted on 29 June 2022 when the upgraded section was fully opened and returned to the

national speed limit A speed limit is the limit of speed allowed by law for road vehicles, usually the maximum speed allowed. Occasionally, there is a minimum speed limit. Advisory speed limits also exist, which are recommended but not mandatory speeds. Speed limi ...

Junctions

Data from

driver location signs Driver location signs are signs placed every along each side of English motorways, and some other major English roads, to provide information that will allow motorists to know their precise location. , roads in England, but not Scotland, Wale ...

are used to provide distance and carriageway identifier information. Where a junction spans several hundred metres and start and end points are available, both are cited. {, style="margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em;" class="wikitable" , - style="background:#0080d0; text-align:center; color:white; " , colspan="6" , M27 motorway junctions , - !scope=col, miles !scope=col, km !scope=col abbr="Westbound", Westbound exits (B carriageway) !scope=col, Junction !scope=col abbr="Eastbound", Eastbound exits (A carriageway) !scope=col, Coordinates , - align="center" , rowspan="2", 0.0
1.2 , rowspan="2", 0.0
2.0 , ''Road continues as A31 to

The WEST West is a cardinal direction or compass point. West or The West may also refer to: Geography and locations Global context * The Western world * Western culture and Western civilization in general * The Western Bloc, countries allied with NAT ...

and Ringwood , rowspan="2", ''Terminus''
J1 ,

A336, Brook,

Bramshaw Bramshaw is a small village and civil parish in Hampshire, England. It lies just inside the New Forest. The name Bramshaw means Bramble Wood. Until 1895, Bramshaw was divided between Wiltshire and Hampshire. The village of Bramshaw is stretche ...

B3079, Lyndhurst A337
, rowspan="2", , - align="center" ,

The New Forest The New Forest is one of the largest remaining tracts of unenclosed pasture land, heathland and forest in Southern England, covering southwest Hampshire and southeast Wiltshire. It was proclaimed a royal forest by William the Conqueror, feat ...

, Lyndhurst A337
, ''Start of motorway'' , - align="center" , 4.2
4.6 , 6.8
7.4 ,

A36, Fawley A326 , J2 , Salisbury,

Romsey Romsey ( ) is a town in the Test Valley district of Hampshire, England. The town is situated northwest of Southampton, southwest of Winchester and southeast of Salisbury. It sits on the outskirts of the New Forest, just over northeast of ...

A36, Fawley A326,

Paultons Park Paultons Park is an amusement park located in the New Forest National Park, near the village of Ower, in Hampshire, England, with over 70 rides and attractions. The park is situated on the former Paultons Estate, and covers 140 acres of land a ...

, , - align="center" , 6.6
6.8 , 10.6
11.0 ,

, The Docks M271(S),

M271(N) , J3 , Southampton, The Docks M271 , , - align="center" , , , ''

Rownhams Services Rownhams services is a motorway service station on the M27 motorway, close to the junction for the M271 motorway which leads into Southampton. It is owned by Roadchef. History The nearby village did not realise how close that the M27 motorway w ...

(

Roadchef Roadchef Motorways Limited is a company which operates 21 motorway service areas in the United Kingdom. History Roadchef was founded in July 1973 as a joint venture between Lindley Catering Investments and Galleon World Travel, with the first ...

)'' , ''Services'' , ''Rownhams Services (

)'' , , - align="center" , 9.4
9.8 , 15.2
15.7 ,

The MIDLANDS The Midlands is the central region of England, to the south of Northern England, to the north of southern England, to the east of Wales, and to the west of the North Sea. The Midlands comprises the ceremonial counties of Derbyshire, Herefords ...

, London,

Winchester Winchester (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs N ...

M3 , J4 , The MIDLANDS, London, Winchester M3 , , - align="center" , 11.7
11.9 , 18.9
19.2 , Southampton, Eastleigh,

Airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...

A335 , J5 , Southampton,

Eastleigh Eastleigh is a town in Hampshire, England, between Southampton and Winchester. It is the largest town and the administrative seat of the Borough of Eastleigh, with a population of 24,011 at the United Kingdom 2011 census, 2011 census. The town ...

, Airport

A335 , , - align="center" , , , ''Non- existent'' , ''J6'' , 'Non-existent' , - align="center" , 15.5
15.7 , 24.9
25.2 ,

Hedge End Hedge End is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Hampshire, England. Situated to the east of the Southampton, City of Southampton, it adjoins the districts of West End, Hampshire, West End and Botley, Hampshire, Botley. Hedge ...

A334 , J7 , Hedge End, Botley A334 , , - align="center" , 16.2
17.0 , 26.0
27.4 , Southampton, Hamble, East Docks A3024 , J8 , Southampton (E), Hamble A3024 , , - align="center" , 19.9
20.6 , 32.1
33.1 , Fareham (W) A27,

Whiteley Whiteley is a planned community of 6,500 homes in the county of Hampshire, England, United Kingdom near Fareham. The development straddles the boundary between two council districts: the Fareham (borough), Borough of Fareham to the south and we ...

, J9 , Fareham (W) A27, Whiteley , , - align="center" , 23.2
23.5 , 37.4
37.8 ,

Alton Alton may refer to: People *Alton (given name) * Alton (surname) Places Australia * Alton National Park, Queensland * Alton, Queensland, a town in the Shire of Balonne Canada * Alton, Ontario * Alton, Nova Scotia New Zealand * Alton, New Zeala ...

A32 (No access from A32 to M27) , J10 , ''No exit'' , , - align="center" , 24.4
24.7 , 39.2
39.8 , Fareham (C) A27,

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 ...

( A32) , J11 , Fareham (C) A27, Gosport (A32) , , - align="center" , 27.7
28.1 , 44.6
45.2 ,

Ferries A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus. ...

M275 , J12 , Cosham,

Paulsgrove Paulsgrove is an area of northern Portsmouth, Hampshire, England. Initially a small independent hamlet for many centuries, it was admitted to the city limits in 1920 and grew rapidly after the end of the Second World War. History Paulsgrove ex ...

Hilsea Hilsea is a district of the city of Portsmouth in the English county of Hampshire. Hilsea is home to one of Portsmouth's main sports and leisure facilities – the Mountbatten centre. Trafalgar School (formerly the City of Portsmouth Boys' Scho ...

A27, Portsmouth (W),

M275 , , - align="center" , rowspan="2", 29.0 , rowspan="2", 46.6 , ''Start of motorway'' , rowspan="2", ''Terminus'' , ''No exit, access to A3 via J12'' , rowspan="2", , - align="center" , Cosham A3(N),

A3(S) , ''Road continues as A27 to

Havant Havant ( ) is a town in the south-east corner of Hampshire, England. Nearby places include Portsmouth to the south-west, Southampton to the west, Waterlooville to north, Chichester to the east and Hayling Island to the south. The wider borough ...

, Portsmouth (E),

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

and London (A3(M))'' , - align="center" , - , colspan=6, Notes *Distances in kilometres and carriageway identifiers are obtained from

/location marker posts. Where a junction spans several hundred metres (yards) and the data is available, both the start and finish values for the junction are shown. *Coordinate data from ACME Mapper. , -

Nearby attractions

Junction 1 is about ( by road) from The Rufus Stone, where King William II, also known as William Rufus, was killed in what may have been a hunting accident in 1100.As measured o
Google Maps
/ref>

References

External links

The Motorway Archive – M27

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:2-0027 Motorways in England Roads in Hampshire Transport in Hampshire