CALLS have been made to make the M27 quieter, as promised work to resurface a stretch of the motorway has still not been carried out.

Eastleigh Borough Council claims that in 2014, the then-MP Mike Thornton, secured funding from Highways England for ‘low noise resurfacing’ of the M27 between Junction 5 and Junction 7.

Local leaders say that residents have, for years, been complaining about the noise near their homes in West End and Hedge End, caused by the concrete surface on the motorway, but nothing has been done.

At a meeting of Eastleigh Borough Council in July 2018, it was agreed that if Highways England did not comply with the commitment, then the government would be held to account.

Lib Dem councillor Keith House, leader of council, said: “It was extremely frustrating that our concerns about noise from the M27 weren’t addressed from the outset, and that a solution wasn’t included in the original Smart Motorways project.

“Pressure from the Council has at least renewed a commitment for a noise-reducing surface, eventually, though there is still no commitment for a date.

“Nearby residents have suffered through the construction work and, without the appropriate road surfacing, noise will continue impact local communities until the new surface is in place.”

A reports looking at the status of negotiations on managing noise pollution, safety and impacts on biodiversity and transport is now set to be considered by the authority’s Policy & Performance Scrutiny Panel on Monday.

Highways England recently provided updates on a number of the issues raised by the Council, including a commitment to fund a noise-reducing surface over the existing concrete.

Despite this, questions remain over when the resurfacing work will be carried out, whether the adjoining M3 Smart Motorway scheme will include stopped vehicle detector technology in its design, the installation of additional noise barriers, and the delivery plan to achieve a net gain in biodiversity.

A Highways England spokesperson said: “We understand that traffic noise can been a cause for concern and we are committed to reducing the impact of road noise along this stretch of the M27.

“We are progressing with a project to resurface the concrete section of the M27 between junctions 5 and 7 with a lower noise surface.

“This project is currently in the preliminary design phase.”