M27 smart motorway: What is it? Will there be closures? What's been done and what's next?Â

Motorists are being warned that work to transform the M27 will be carried out over the coming months.Â
The M27 is being turned into a smart motorwayThe M27 is being turned into a smart motorway
The M27 is being turned into a smart motorway

The motorway is set to be turned into a 'smart motorway' between Junction 4 and Junction 11. 

What is being done to the M27? 

Highways England are transforming the hard shoulder on the M27 between Junction 4 and Junction 11 into a permanent running lane, converting it into a dual four lane smart motorway.

The M27 is being turned into a smart motorwayThe M27 is being turned into a smart motorway
The M27 is being turned into a smart motorway
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New signage and technology will also be introduced to help with the management of vehicle speeds and safe lane use.

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Why is the M27 being turned into a smart motorway? 

Smart motorways reduce congestion and improve journey time reliability by making the hard shoulder available as a traffic lane, and use variable speed limits to smooth traffic flow.

Highways England also say that smart motorways also add much needed capacity to some of the most congested parts of the M27 and support economic growth.

When is the work taking place? 

Highways England will be carrying out the roadworks to transform the M27 into a smart motorway between September 2018 and January 2019. 

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Meaning the work is already underway and is expected to last for around four months. 

Will there be road or lane closures? 

Highways England say that the work to turn the hard shoulder into a permanent running lane will take place during night time lane closures because of their proximity to the carriageway.

The works will be carried out during a series of night time lane closures with a maximum of two of the lanes being closed, meaning there will always be one lane open overnight.

There will also be a requirement for hard shoulder closures during the day, as the work proceeds along the route.

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Highways England also say that whilst these works may be noisy at times, they will not exceed normal traffic noise levels and mitigation measures will be put in place to protect residents and neighbours who may be adversely affected.

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