New Stubbington Bypass receives seal of approval

This new £42 million road will reduce congestion and improve air quality in Stubbington and is set to open to traffic during the week commencing 30 May 2022.

At an event to celebrate completion of the Bypass, Baroness Vere, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Transport, commended the work and commented: ‘This new bypass will be a welcome development for the local community and I’m pleased to mark its completion here today (Thursday 26 May 2022). This is just one of several projects in the area, backed by £100 million, helping to reduce congestion, improve air quality and provide better public transport and active travel opportunities.’

Leader of Hampshire County Council, Councillor Rob Humby, said: ‘We made a commitment to the people of Fareham, Gosport and Stubbington to improve traffic and travel locally and across South Hampshire. This bypass represents a key part of our strategy to improve access into Gosport and Fareham, reduce congestion and increase journey time reliability for road users. Improving the transport network in this way will encourage new investment into the area, facilitating regeneration and providing new jobs for local people.’

Councillor Edward Heron, Executive Lead Member for Transport and Environment Strategy said: ‘I am delighted that the bypass is now complete and ready for service. I must commend the County Council’s project team and our contractor, BAM Nuttall Limited, for ensuring this has been achieved despite several unforeseen challenges over the last two years. I am very pleased to be able to see first-hand, the end result of a plan that has been almost ten years in the making, and over two years to build. In agreeing to contribute funding for this substantial transport infrastructure scheme, we recognised the essential role this new route will now play in reducing delays, improving the local environment, boosting the economy and attracting new business, including at the Solent Enterprise Zone.’

Stubbington Bypass is jointly funded by the Department for Transport, Hampshire County Council and the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).

Anne-Marie Mountifield, Chief Executive for the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership, said: "The Solent LEP with the Department of Transport has invested £34 million from the Local Growth Deal into this new bypass at Stubbington, one of our largest ever investments. The improved journey times it will deliver will boost the local economy by encouraging regeneration, particularly at the Solent Enterprise Zone, at the same time as improving the lives of local people by diverting traffic from Stubbington centre and providing better facilities for people to walk and cycle. The Stubbington Bypass forms part of a package of transport infrastructure projects to improve access for those living and working in Fareham and Gosport, to which the Solent LEP has already contributed over £20 million. Together the transport schemes have enabled 1,200 new jobs and over 3,000 new homes so far.’

To facilitate the finishing touches to the overall scheme temporary traffic lights will continue to operate at the junction of Titchfield Road with Bridge Street, with other temporary traffic control measures also in place at Titchfield Road and Gosport Road, where these existing roads feed into the new bypass.

Hampshire County Council developed the Stubbington bypass scheme to: 

• Improve journey times and access to the Gosport peninsula;
• Improve transport infrastructure to encourage investment and regeneration in the area;
• Improve the environment within Stubbington village by reducing traffic volumes and enabling better access for pedestrians and cyclists.

The Stubbington Bypass represents the final part of an investment of over £100 million into road and transport improvements in the area, developed in partnership between the County Council and the Solent LEP in recent years, aimed at improving access to the Gosport Peninsula and the Solent Enterprise Zone. In addition, the County Council has invested in the Eclipse Bus Rapid Transit route, upgrades to Newgate Lane, Peel Common roundabout and improvements to the A27.

More information about the Stubbington Bypass scheme can be found online at: https://www.hants.gov.uk/transport/transportschemes/stubbingtonbypass

Click here for the original press release.