Storm Darragh: A34 remains closed in both directions near Winchester for emergency works

At 10:30pm last night (Friday, December 6) an emergency closure was put in place between junction 9, near Winchester, to the junction with the A272 at Three Maids Hill.

The closure is to allow emergency work to remove trees close to the carriageway which present a safety risk to the public with current high winds. The closure has already been in place for almost 17 hours and it is expected to remain in place throughout the weekend.

Robert Bell, National Highways’ network operations manager for the South East, said: “Safety is our priority and we are undertaking this emergency work to help keep road users safe.

“We apologise for any disruption, but the circumstances of Storm Darragh – and the high winds we are expecting over the next 48 hours – has prioritised this work.

“I can reassure people that our contractors are working at pace and in challenging conditions to minimise inconvenience for those who regularly use this road by carrying out the work overnight and across the weekend when traffic levels are at their lightest.

“We believe the road will remain closed tomorrow, but at this early stage I am unable to provide a timeline for when it will be reopened. A decision on that will only be made when we are confident the road is safe is to use.”

For more information about the storm, click here.