BUSINESSES in Winchester have welcomed major regional road changes after improvement plans were announced.

The National Road Investment strategy is to invest £15 billion over the next seven years across the country including works to many of Winchester’s major routes.

Dubbed the biggest roads upgrade in a generation, the Government is funding the creation of more than 1,300 miles of extra lanes in a bid to cut congestion by 2020.

Works to upgrade parts of the M3 to a “smart motorway” will be implemented from junction 9, at the Winchester interchange with the A34, to junction 14.

These include improvements to the slip roads at junctions 10-14, as well as carriageway widening and lane realignment.

Winchester Business Improvement District manager, Catherine Turness, said: “It’s pleasing to hear the Government is investing more into the roads which surround Winchester and, although I doubt the improvements will have a direct impact on businesses within the city, any scheme which improves the visitor experience in accessing the city from the M3 and A34 will be valuable.”

There will also be technology enhancements made on the A34 at junction 13 to junction 9 including detection loops, CCTV cameras and other driver information systems.

Around £350 million will also be spent to transform the A27 with a new bypass at Arundel to complete the ‘missing link’.

Jim Davison, London and South East region director at manufacturing organisation EEF, said: “As far as manufacturers are concerned, the Strategic Road Network is the most business-critical infrastructure network. Today’s announcement is a significant step towards filling in the gaps to create a network that better supports growth. This is however just a medium-term catch up and we can’t afford to allow this level of drift in maintaining and upgrading our road network in the future.

“In our recent survey of members, 65 per cent chose the strategic road network as one of their top three priorities for infrastructure investment. Today's Road Investment Strategy takes this into account including newly announced upgrades to junctions along the M25, a key road for manufacturers seeking to invest, expand and export in our region.”

Speaking at the House of Commons of Monday (Dec 1), Winchester and Chandler’s Ford MP, Steve Brine, said: “This is fantastic news for the country and the region because junction 9 sits on a major trade route to the south coast, including for our vital car industry heading out of the Black Country to the Ports. But it is also brilliant news for Winchester, and my constituents in Winnall especially, who suffer gridlock congestion which stretches far and wide as soon as things clog up on the M3. I know they, and the business based on the Winnall Trading Estate, will be really pleased to hear this news.”