A3 goes underground

Work is well underway on the road improvement project at Hindhead which will replace the last remaining stretch of single carriageway on the London to Portsmouth A3. The £371 million initiative will remove the notorious bottleneck at the traffic lights junction with the A287

 

Work underway on the Hindhead tunnel

 

Work is well underway on the road improvement project at Hindhead which will replace the last remaining stretch of single carriageway on the London to Portsmouth A3. The £371 million initiative will remove the notorious bottleneck at the traffic lights junction with the A287.

 

The project depends on a 1.9 km twin-bore tunnel that is the longest in the UK. This will pass under a stretch of the Surrey Hills AONB and a Site of Special Scientific Interest. By using this ambitious approach, the Devil’s Punchbowl will be protected from traffic noise and air and light pollution. A wide area of heathland from Hindhead to Thursley will be enhanced in environmental quality and made very attractive for outdoor recreation both for local residents and visiting tourists alike. The old route of the A3 will be closed to traffic. The National Trust with the full support of CPRE is working with the Hindhead Together Partnership on a programme of renovation which will transform this part of the Surrey Hills.

 

A major concern remains as to what will happen when the traffic congestion at Hindhead is unblocked by the tunnel development and moves instead to Guildford near the Hogs Back junction of the A3 and the A31 in the vicinity of the Manor Park campus of the University of Surrey. CPRE has been assured that the Highways Agency, the Surrey County Council, and Guildford Borough Council are working together to find a solution to what appears to be an intractable problem that is already overdue for decision.