Hampshire County Counncil’s Nick Adams-King gives update on widening work for Waterside’s A326

MAJOR plans to turn a section of a New Forest road into a dual carriageway are progressing, a councillor has assured.

The northern section of the A326 on the Waterside is set for Hampshire County Council improvement scheme.

The plan aims to widen the Totton stretch of the A326 between its junctions with Michigan Way and Cocklydown Lane, and it will be turned into a dual carriageway from Hounsdown Business Park to the M27.

The county council also plans to build an extra southbound lane between the business park and a point south of Staplewood Lane, Marchwood.

At a recent full council meeting, New Forest district councillor for Totton South, Cllr David Harrison, asked for an update.

Cabinet member for Hampshire 2050 and corporate services Councillor Nick Adams-King said that the programme is currently completing an outline business case (OBC), which will determine the scheme’s viability.

Cllr Adams-King said: “Scheme development work has been on hold for the last few months whilst additional funding was required to develop the scheme up to the point of the planning application and OBC submission was secured from funding bodies.

“I’m pleased to say that additional funding has now been approved. Development work has restarted, and the scheme webpage will be updated with the latest time scale in due course with an expectation that subject to a funded business case, a planning application will be coming forward next year.”

The Department of Transport has agreed to give the county council a cash injection of £3.5m for the scheme’s development.

The council leader agreed to meet with Cllr Harrison and the other two county councillors after he pointed out that there are “serious reservations” about the scheme.

Cllr Adams-King said that he aims to find the “best possible way” to deliver the infrastructure needed to support the freeport and the Waterside and understand residents’ concerns.