M27 ranked England’s worst motorway amid concerns over roadworks and delays

The M27 has been ranked England’s worst motorway, amid concerns over roadworks and delays.

Just 56% of drivers who used the 28-mile road said they were satisfied with their journey, a survey by watchdog Transport Focus found.

One respondent described roadworks on the motorway as “terrible” as they cause reduced speed and narrow lanes despite the respondent “very rarely” seeing any work happening. The road has seen long-running work for surfacing and junction modifications.

Widespread disruption started in March 2018 for work for the Smart Motorway scheme which finished in June 2022.

However, there has been plenty of other disruption for drivers on the M27 in recent times. In February 2024, an £83m resurface scheme between junctions 5 and 7 started and only completed in June this year.

Work is also ongoing to upgrade Junction 10 of the M27 in a project being led by Hampshire County Council. This is to improve the infrastructure for the area as a result of the construction of nearby Welborne Garden Village where 6,000 new homes are being built. This has also led to the current lane restrictions and a 50mph limit being put in place.

Furthermore, work has begun to renew the signal at Junction 3 which will lead to each direction being closed overnight in turn, with more details expected to follow.

And the westbound stretch near Paulsgrove, just after junction 12, has also been subject to a 50mph speed limit for more than a year.

Users of the M27 have revealed their biggest irritations with the motorway. One driver said: “Never having done 70 along its entire length for over a decade.”

Another said: “The fact that highways had to restart the lengthy roadworks again due to not installing the drainage properly.”

A third person said the 50mph speed limit was another gripe for them.

As part of the survey, Kent’s M20 was ranked the country’s favourite motorway, with a satisfaction rating of 79%.

Across all motorways and major A roads, 71% of drivers were satisfied with their journey, up from 69% last year.

Ratings for journey times, road surfaces and roadworks management all improved year-on-year.

England’s network of motorways and major A roads is entering one of its largest maintenance periods since much of it was first built in the 1960s.

National Highways is embarking on a five-year renewals programme as part of the third Road Investment Strategy, which is likely to involve more roadworks.

Transport Focus director Louise Collins said the survey results demonstrate that “positive improvements to the road user experience are possible”.

She went on: “Overall satisfaction has increased and there are encouraging signs that drivers are noticing improvements in key areas, however drivers continue to tell us that roadworks can make or break a journey.

“By applying the positive lessons from recent schemes, National Highways has an opportunity to ensure roadworks are well planned, clearly communicated and minimise disruption wherever possible.”

Satisfaction with journeys on smart motorways rose from 60% last year to 66%.

Transport Focus attributed this to the completion of work to retrofit 150 additional emergency refuge areas, which involved widespread roadworks causing delays.

Drivers on sections of smart motorway continued to feel less safe than those on conventional motorways, at 78% and 82% respectively.

A National Highways spokesperson said: “We manage our roads to ensure the highest levels of safety while minimising disruption to drivers.

“The survey results show our work to improve road conditions and incident response times have had a positive impact for drivers.

“When roads are well maintained, businesses and communities feel the benefit, and we are committed to tackling an ageing network head-on to keep the country moving and give drivers better experiences.”

The spokesperson added: “Given its age and proximity to the coast the M27 remains a focus for ongoing essential maintenance and repair work. This means we will have more work to carry out along this route including, at times, unplanned repairs and maintenance – particularly after incidents when the road and infrastructure have been damaged.”

The survey of more than 9,500 drivers was conducted in the 12 months to the end of March.