A27 traffic misery: National Highways responds to reports of four-hour delays
Motorists reported being stuck in traffic for up to four hours, during an A27 closure, over the weekend.
AA Traffic information showed delays of 110 minutes between Fishbourne and Langstone roundabouts, with average speeds of five mph. Disruption was first reported at 8am and continued throughout Sunday (October 18), with traffic also queueing on the A259 Havant Road.
National Highways said a diversion was clearly signposted. It added that a nearby police incident contributed to congestion, during the planned westbound closure between Emsworth junction and Langstone roundabout.
It has been reported that journeys between Fishbourne and Emsworth took three to four hours, followed by further delays through Havant.
This newspaper was told that cruise passengers missed their ships and that a nurse returning from a 13-hour shift at St Richard’s Hospital took almost four hours to get home, compared with a usual journey of 30 minutes.
A reader contacted the Chichester Observer to say that signs – seen when joining the A27 – advertised overnight closures between 9pm and 6am, leaving drivers unaware of the daytime closure.
He questioned whether sufficient allowance had been made for traffic associated with the Great South Run in Portsmouth and other events, as well as nearby road closures.
A National Highways spokesperson said: “We’ve been carrying out a major refurbishment programme at the A27 Langstone Interchange. A section of the A27 was closed with a clearly signposted diversion route in place and during the closure there was an incident police were dealing with nearby, contributing to congestion.”
The authority said the refurbishment included replacing bridge parapets, upgrading safety barriers, renewing bridge waterproofing and installing new expansion joints.
It said the improvements would help maintain the safety and reliability of the structures, reduce noise for nearby residents and businesses, and extend the life of the bridges.
National Highways said closures and diversion routes were advertised through letters, signs, social media and its website. It added that diversion routes were carefully assessed and agreed in advance with the local authority.