DRIVERS are bracing themselves for another weekend of disruption caused by the closure of a Hampshire motorway used by about 140,000 vehicles a day.

Highways England is planning to shut the M27 near Fareham early this month to enable engineers to install a new bridge over the carriageways.

The scheme is part of a £244m project to convert a 15-mile stretch of the M27 into a smart motorway.

The installation of the North Fareham footbridge will result in the route being closed between junction 9 at Whiteley and junction 11 at Fareham from 9pm on Friday, September 4 until 6am on Monday, September 7.

Drivers wanting to travel along the major route between Junction 9 at Whiteley and 11 at Fareham will instead be diverted through nearby Fareham, as works are carried out to install a new bridge.

The diversions for both eastbound and westbound traffic will use the A27.

A Highways England spokesman said: “

The installation will require a full closure of the M27 between Junctions 9 and 11 (including access off and on to the M27 at Junction 10) during this time.

“The closure dates may be subject to change owing to operational requirements or adverse weather conditions. Diversion routes will be clearly signposted.”

Drivers are being warned to plan ahead - and stay at home if possible.

The leader of Fareham Borough Council, Cllr Sean Woodward, said: “The smart motorway scheme is a major infrastructure project and it’s unsurprising it involves a few short closures for bridge replacement work.

“I urge people to plan their journeys using an appropriate diversion and consider whether they actually need to travel that weekend.”

Drivers are hoping it will not produce the sort of traffic chaos seen in the Southampton area during three weekend closures caused by the replacement of the Romsey Road bridge.

The first shutdown took place in September 2018.

Parts of Southampton were paralysed as drivers cut through the city to avoid a 55-mile detour which turned what was normally a short drive into a two-hour loop around Hampshire.

Another closure occurred in June last year, when the motorway reopened 36 hours ahead of schedule.

But even the comparatively short shutdown resulted in another day of traffic chaos in Southampton and surrounding towns, with drivers sweltering in cars stuck in 80-minute queues.

The final closure in February meant more misery for motorists as long tailbacks built up in Southampton, Romsey and North Baddesley.