 Welcome to our Autumn newsletter
A lot has happened between junctions 9 to 14 recently, so here's an update on what's been going on.
We’ve finished making a safe area for our team to work in and have already made progress on removing the old metal barrier so we can start installing the new safer concrete one.
 Work is well underway at junctions 9-14 on the M3
So far we've put in narrow lanes to keep traffic moving, removed most of the posts, cut away drainage slots and prepared a new base, ready for the concrete barrier upgrade.
Over the coming months we’ll be working along the entire length of the central reservation between junctions 9 and 14.
For the most up to date information, visit our website.
 Bat boxes close to the River Itchen
The number of bats in the UK has declined and all species are protected by law. We’re excited that our environmental surveys uncovered some common pipistrelle bats under the M3 close to the River Itchen.
Bats hibernate during colder months (usually November to March), which is why you won’t see any work taking place here between now and April so that we don't disturb them. In the meantime, we've placed two bat boxes in nearby trees to protect these animals and help others thrive in the area.
Building and improving our road network is just part of what we do. We also give back to the community by volunteering on local projects. Here are a couple of events from earlier this year that you may have missed.
Marwell Zoo
 Raking the grass areas at Marwell Zoo
To celebrate National Inclusion Week, our team spent some time at Marwell Zoo, removing dead grass and weeds to improve the soil and allow wildflowers to grow in the spring.
These wildflower areas bring added biodiversity. Visitors can now learn all about the natural wildlife alongside protected wildlife at the Zoo. Close to junction 11, some of Marwell’s visitors will have travelled using our network, which is why we do as much as we can off the road, as well as on.
Jane Austen's House
 The courtyard and pathways, before and after
Back in April, the project team took a visit to nearby Chawton in Hampshire to see the cottage where Jane Austen lived and wrote her novels.
Thanks to the kind donations from Days Aggregates, the team spent four days laying new stone in the storage area, footpaths and outside seating areas. They also cleaned and re-grouted the pathways surrounding the house and garden. We hope these improvements will enhance the experience of those visiting this historic place for many more years to come.
Keep following our Facebook page to learn more about the volunteering work we do across the south east.
 You may already know about the plans improve junction 9 so that it has free-flowing links between the M3 and the A34.
A new online information portal explains the design and environmental changes being made following feedback from the last consultation and a timeline for the future.
Go to the M3 junction 9 online information portal
If you travel regularly on the M3, there's some upcoming maintenance work, which may affect your journey.
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M3 junction 5 bridge repairs. Overnight repair work to the road bridges over the M3 until Monday 12 December 2022.
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M3 Tower Hill bridge repairs. Combination of overnight northbound and southbound closures (junctions 7 and 9) from Monday 31 October to Saturday 26 November 2022.
For the most up to date information, visit the south east maintenance page.
 If you tailgate the car in front of you, you'll have less time to react. Please take extra care when driving through our works on the M3, especially under narrow lanes.
For more information about what you should and shouldn't do if you're being tail-gated and a quick guide to stopping distances, please visit our website.
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