Steve Forster - Cllr, Hampshire Highways & Transport

05/09/2026

Wi******er Highways drainage work around Pitt Roundabout (Romsey Road/Badger Farm Road junction

Highways drainage work is scheduled here from 7th -23rd September according to One.Network - with a diversion in place.

As this is a main route into Wi******er, I understand a few asked if this is an overnight closure or if it the road will closed 24/7, and I’d like to thank Jan Warwick for raising a concern.

Detail below but a summary shows that it’s night works only and they should not put up Traffic Management, or work during the M3 J9 works or some other works already planned.

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Detail: I can confirm it’s booked as night works only between 20:00 and 06:00. No works or traffic management shall be in place from the night of 11 September through to 06:00 on 14 September, nor from the night of 19 September through to 06:00 on 21 September, due to other planned works and events on the network.

A lane closure only shall be in place on the night of 15 September.

Outside of the permitted working hours, all traffic management should be fully removed, and the highway remain clear, unobstructed, and operating at normal capacity.

03/09/2026

The M27 Junction 10 will be opening early, in phases, starting in under 2 weeks.

The new M27 Junction 10 scheme will soon open to traffic marking a major milestone in of one of the county’s most ambitious transport infrastructure projects

02/09/2026

🚧 ROAD UPDATE: Upper Street, Fleet

I’m pleased to confirm that Hampshire County Council will soon carry out highway improvement works at junctions along Upper Street, Fleet - helping to slow traffic and improve safety for everyone using the road.

This scheme matters. These junctions have seen a number of serious incidents 💥, some involving speed despite the area already being subject to a 20mph limit. Reducing that risk is a priority behind this investment.

🔗 Full scheme information: https://www.hants.gov.uk/transport/transportschemes/upper-street-junction-improvements

💷It has been funded by Developer Contributions (S106), funds provided by developers of new housing across the area - these could NOT be used for general road maintenance, in line with national legislation.

🚶🏾 🚲 The scheme also supports our community wider local ambitions to improve conditions for walking and cycling and access to the town centre, as defined in the Hart/HCC local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan LCWIP, with new dedicated cycle lanes forming part of the works.

👉I do want to acknowledge that works of this scale inevitably bring some disruption, and I appreciate the patience of residents and businesses while these improvements take place.

Schemes like this are genuinely complex to get right. We need to ensure the raised junctions are built to last while carefully working around underground water, gas, drainage and other utility services. The programme has also been coordinated with other resurfacing and roadworks in the area, helping to avoid unnecessarily digging up newly completed surfaces.

All local councillors at district and parish level were informed of the scheme, Fire Officers and key stakeholders and they have been supportive, with no objections raised.

🚐 Monitoring after completion ✅

Once the scheme is completed, highways officers will monitor how the new arrangements are working in practice, including traffic movements and safety. If the changes are not operating as expected, or issues emerge once people have had time to adjust to the new layout, the scheme can be reviewed and potential revisions considered.

The priority is to make sure the changes deliver the safety and travel improvements they are designed to achieve, while working effectively for the local community.

What’s happening:

🔹 Raised road sections at three junctions:
• Albert Street / Upper Street
• Clarence Road / Upper Street
• Albert Street / Church Road

🔹 A section of Upper Street will become one-way for motor vehicles between Albert Street and Clarence Road. Access remains from both Albert Street and Fleet Road, but you’ll no longer be able to exit Albert Street onto Upper Street at that junction. A no-entry sign will be installed.

🔹 New cycle lanes will be provided on both sides of Upper Street between Albert Street and Fleet Road. Cyclists will continue to be able to travel in both directions and will be exempt from the one-way restriction.

Timings:

📅 Works are due to start 14 September 2026. The permit allows for works through to late March 2027, but the scheme is expected to be completed significantly sooner.

🚦 The works will be carried out in phases through a series of road closures, in this order:

1️⃣ Albert Street / A323 (RRS)
2️⃣ Albert Street / Church Road
3️⃣ Albert Street / Upper Street
4️⃣ Upper Street / Clarence Road

🕗 Working hours: 7.30am–7.30pm Monday to Friday and 8am–4pm Saturday.

Pedestrian and emergency vehicle access to properties will be maintained throughout, with advance warning signs in place. Disruption should be kept to a minimum where possible.

As with all highway schemes, the start date may change and the programme is subject to weather, site conditions and any unforeseen issues encountered during construction.

📍 Traffic management details: https://one.network/?GB148693793

As always, I’ll keep you updated as the works progress. If you have any questions, please get in touch.

01/09/2026

🚧 HIGHWAY UPDATE: Fareham - Removing Barriers to Improve Access

Hampshire County Council will shortly begin work at a number of locations across Fareham to remove barriers and improve accessibility for people using walking and cycling routes.

Rocon Contractors Ltd has been appointed to carry out the works, which are scheduled to take place between 14 September and 3 October 2026.

The existing barriers at the identified locations will be removed. At some locations they may be replaced with more accessible alternatives, designed to retain an appropriate restriction while providing enough space for a wider range of people to use the route.

♿ This is particularly important for people using wheelchairs and mobility aids, as well as adapted or larger cycles, pushchairs and others who can find traditional barriers difficult or sometimes impossible to negotiate.

📅 Works: 14 September - 3 October 2026

📍 Works will take place at a number of locations across Fareham, with advance warning signs provided where necessary.

🚑 Emergency vehicle access to properties will be maintained throughout.

As with all highway works, the programme is weather-dependent and individual dates may change at short notice.

🔗 Full details and updates:
https://www.hants.gov.uk/transport/transportschemes/fareham-removal-barriers

28/08/2026

🚧 Highways Update: Botley Road Junction, Fair Oak, Eastleigh - Roadworks

A positive update on the works now planned to start on 1st Sept for the Botley Road junction in Fair Oak.

📅 New dates: Tuesday 1 - Wednesday 9 September 2026
🕗 Hours: Overnight, 8pm to 6am
This revised timing now includes the Botley Road junction works.

🚦 Full road closure will be in place during these hours to keep the public and workforce safe. Botley Road Junction will be inaccessible, and traffic will need to follow the signed diversion route.

🗺️ View the suggested diversion route on Causeway one.network:
https://one.network/?GB148177594

Please also note:
• Resurfacing, road markings, and carriageway works are due to finish by 8 September
• Traffic signal installation will continue on the footway beyond that, likely through the rest of September, with pedestrian access maintained throughout

⚠️ All works are weather-dependent and may change at short notice.

ℹ️ Full scheme details, phasing, and timelines are here:
https://www.hants.gov.uk/transport/transportschemes/mortimers-lane-fair-oak-improvements

Apologies in advance for any disruption this might cause - daytime hours with temporary signals in operation are likely to see some impact. We’ll keep working to minimise this as much as possible.

25/08/2026

🚌 Improvements to Yateley bus services from Sunday 30 August 2026.

I’m pleased to share that Stagecoach, following work with and support from Hampshire County Council as part of our Bus Service Improvement Plan, is introducing significant changes to bus services for Yateley residents:

🚌 NEW Service 8 - Yateley to Farnborough
A brand new commercial service running every 30 minutes, Monday to Saturday (hourly on Sundays, supported by Bus Service Improvement Plan funding).
The route runs via Farnborough Main station, the A325, Hawley Lane/Hawley Road, Frogmore Road, Darby Green Road and Reading Road.

This is a real win for Yateley - around a 30-minute journey time saving to Farnborough compared with the current 3 and changing onto the 1 at Camberley. It also opens up faster rail connections from Farnborough (Main) towards Woking and London.

🚌 Service 3 – Yateley to Aldershot (via Camberley)
Will run every half hour, though the Yateley to Camberley “short” journeys are being withdrawn due to low passenger numbers on that section. On the plus side, there’ll be later evening journeys, and Sunday services improve from every 90 minutes to hourly, running later into the day too.

Full details, timetables and the updated Blackwater Valley network map are on Stagecoach’s website - link below. 👇

🔗 https://www.stagecoachbus.com/service-updates/serviceupdatesarticle?SituationId=ID-13%2F07%2F2026-14%3A21%3A39%3A688

25/08/2026

It was fascinating to join Councillor Nick Drew and some of his residents in the Petersfield, Hampshire area - particularly the short drive to Liss to meet Andy Smith of Liss Parish Council to hear about how they’re working with the County Council on plans to improve the village centre.

Often it’s Parish Councils working with the community that make the difference and initiate significant projects. This is very much the case in Liss with Councillor Andy Smith investing huge amounts of his time to develop the Liss Village Centre project which will, if supported after full public consultation, offer a safe and peaceful village centre. Steve Forster , HCC, was kind enough to look over the plans with Andy that HCC officers have been assisting in creating, as well as suggest possible additions. I look forward to engaging further in this over the next couple of months so Liss residents have the opportunity of this investment in their village.

25/08/2026

A useful initiative from Stagecoach South for Basingstoke: £1 evening bus fares after 7pm. 🚌

There’s a wider transport policy point here. The long-term sustainability of bus services depends on growing patronage - and that means understanding what genuinely changes travel behaviour.

Lower evening fares could help unlock journeys that might otherwise be made by car, while supporting the evening economy and improving access to employment, education and leisure.

But price is only one part of the equation. Frequency, reliability and operating hours matter too.

The challenge for operators and local transport authorities is identifying where targeted interventions can generate enough additional demand to strengthen the commercial case for better services.

It will be interesting to see what the passenger data tells us - and whether initiatives like this can provide a model for growing evening bus use elsewhere.

This is using Hampshire’s Bus Service Improvement Plan funding in a targeted way, focusing investment to grow passenger numbers where evidence indicates the greatest opportunity to grow passenger numbers.

❓We’d like hear what you think: Would £1 evening fares make you more likely to use the bus?
And where would later or more frequent services make the biggest difference locally? 👇

Basingstoke residents can take advantage of £1 evening bus journeys throughout September and October.

21/08/2026

An excellent afternoon meeting the knowledgeable Councillor Nick Drew in Petersfield Hangers this afternoon, meeting a few residents and the local neighbourhood Bobby 👮, talking about highways, concerns about antisocial drivers and riders and place making.

As we met at the pub, a drink was called for.
A nice coffee ☕️

I'll have to go back some other time to sample the ales 🍺😆

Thank you Chris and team at that The Trooper for looking after us - always a lovely location for a meal, drink or sometimes just a coffee. Great to have Steve HCC Councillor Portfolio holder for Highways in Petersfield Hangers today. Road safety is so important so always nice when the Portfolio Holder invest’s all afternoon with us in Petersfield Hangers to take a look at the roads, talk to many residents and offer resources and support .

21/08/2026

A31 TO REOPEN TOMORROW MORNING

National Highways confirms the A31 in the New Forest reopens tomorrow, Saturday 22 August, earlier than anticipated after the fire repair work which included resurfacing, 800m of new safety barriers, and 1,500m of fencing to keep New Forest livestock off the road.

No exact time yet, so check the National Highways website on the link below before travelling.

Once open, temporary restrictions apply:
• 40mph eastbound / 50mph westbound
• Lane 1 westbound closed (fire service access)
• Lay-bys remain closed

Crews will still be working roadside, so please observe the limits.

Until reopening is confirmed, the closure and diversion stay in place - Please DO NOT follow satnav onto minor Forest roads as SatNav might take you on unsuitable roads.

The land is still hazardous: hot ground and hidden hotspots remain, so stay out of any closed or cordoned areas.

Thanks to all residents and communities for their patience, and to the firefighters, National Highways teams, Hampshire Highways teams, Forestry England, police, local councils and volunteers who have helped.

Latest updates: https://nationalhighways.co.uk/roads-and-travel/live-travel-updates/travel-alerts/a31-hampshire-both-directions-fire-road-closed-between-m27-j2-and-a338/