A32 ROAD CLOSURE FOR 15 WEEKS FROM 27 JUNE

The A32 will be closed for 15 weeks from 27 June to allow for essential flood management work to be carried out by Hampshire County Council on a 5km stretch from Farringdon going south.  The road will be physically closed at the start of the works section so the villages of East Tisted, Newton Valance, Chawton and the majority of Farringdon will still be accessible.  The closed section, the so-called ‘Red Zone’, at Farringdon will be manned and accompanied so that specific local vehicle movements can take place, ie to the industrial areas.  Traffic will be diverted away from the A32 at the Chawton roundabout in the north and the Meon crossroads in the south.  Local Parish Councils have not been consulted on this issue and are concerned  particularly due to the great length of the official diversion – lanes which are unsuitable for any increase in the volume of traffic, and certainly any increase in the size of vehicles, ie HGVs etc, are at risk of being used by a significant proportion of the diverted traffic.  Representatives from East Tisted, Newton Valance, Farringdon and Selborne Parish Councils met with officers from the County Council to raise our concerns about the lack of notice and lack of consultation.  Various options were discussed and it has been agreed that proposed signage at the diversion points at the Meon crossroads and at the Chawton roundabout, and at each end of identified lanes of concern between East Tisted, Newton Valance, Farringdon, and east to the B3006 and Selborne, and west of Farringdon, ie Brightstone Lane, will be strongly worded for local access only and stating that the lanes are not suitable for heavy vehicles.  Due to the number of accidents in normal circumstances, as a matter of urgency a temporary 40mph speed limit was requested to be put into force on B3006 between Selborne and Alton.  Any problems will be monitored and Parish Council representatives have a direct contact at the Council to feed these into.