Updated plans for a long-awaited upgrade of M3 Junction 9 at Winchester are going on show to the public this weekend, National Highways has announced.

The plans have been refreshed after feedback received during the statutory consultation last year.

National Highways will hold two public information events where people can hear more details about the new design changes.  

The events are on Sunday, September 25 and Monday, September 26, from 10am to 4pm at Tesco Extra, Easton Lane, Winnall.

An engagement van will be staffed with project team members who will be able to talk through the plans and answer questions.

The M3 connects south Hampshire with London, the Midlands and the North, and Junction 9 – which interchanges with the A34, a major route to the south coast ports to and from the Midlands – regularly experiences congestion.

READ MORE: Steve Brine MP bemoans ‘intensely frustrating’ delays to M3 Junction 9 upgrade as highways chiefs announce hold-up to multi-million-pound plan

The project will see the M3 widened around the junction to create four traffic lanes in each direction of the M3, as well as free flow connections with the A34.

Roughly 6,000 vehicles an hour go through Junction 9 during peak periods and traffic is particularly heavy between the M3 and the A34, with frequent queues on the northbound off-slip of the M3 which are a safety risk.

National Highways says the new proposed layout for the junction aims to create safer journeys, reduce congestion at the junction making the journey times more reliable and a better environment for walkers.

Critics say the new layour is inherently dangerous with the new A34 northbound slip road having an exit onto the A33.

Environmentalists are unhappy about incursion into the River Itchen valley.

The scheme is currently at the design stage, with the aim to apply for planning consent later this year.

Construction had been hallmarked for early 2024 and completion by December 2026 under the previous timeline.

However, MP for Winchester, Steve Brine, formerly bemoaned 'intensely frustrating’ delays to the upgrade after the targeted date for a planning application to the inspectorate slipped.

Mr Brine was offered assurance from the government agency the plan remained on track, despite a temporary halt on smart motorway developments - including the proposed upgrade from junction nine at Winchester and Junction 14 at Southampton on the M3.

SEE ALSO: Work set to begin on improvements to safety barriers on the M3

However, National Highways was forced to go back to the drawing board, with the consultation a fresh chance for residents to view the new proposals.

National Highways senior project manager Jon Roose said: “We’re looking forward to showing the updated designs to people and talking through the proposed improvements.

"Our plans for the M3 at Junction 9 will increase capacity, help reduce journey times and improve safety.

"I would urge anyone interested in the scheme to visit our virtual exhibition to find out more about the proposals and how the project team has developed the designs responding to feedback we received at the 2021 consultation. There are also various ways they can engage the team directly to ask questions or just find out more.”

Anyone interested can also visit the scheme website to find out more as well as attend the public information event in person: nationalhighways.co.uk/our-roads/south-east/m3-junction-9-improvements/