'Complex' motorway junction slide gets under way
The "complex" operation to slide a 8,500-tonne concrete structure into place to build a new underpass and improve access to a motorway is under way.
The four-lane wide underpass is part of a £100m project run by Hampshire County Council and National Highways.
The "box slide" engineering task of sliding the structure 213ft (65m) into place beneath the motorway began on Friday afternoon, a method the authority said is "pioneering".
Posting on social media, the council said it was using "cutting edge, precision technology with an allowance of just millimetres".
The authority released a timelapse video showing work done since Christmas Eve to construct the new junction that will open in late 2026 to "significantly improve access to the M27".
The motorway is closed in both directions between Junction 9 for Whiteley and 11 for Fareham until 04:00 on 4 January.
The new pre-built underpass will connect Fareham with the Welborne Garden Village development, which will eventually have 6,000 homes.
The council said the project involved "the creation of a new dual carriageway, with four roundabouts, to link the slip roads to the existing road network, forming a 'free flowing link' at Junction 10".
Public urged to stay away
It added that it was aware there was a lot of public interest in the operation but that "for safety reasons there will be no viewing areas or spectator facilities".
It urged people to stay away from the site while work was underway because "work involves complex machinery and restricted zones, and unauthorised access could put people at risk and disrupt progress".
Instead it directed people to social media to view the progress and posted the timelapse video.
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