M27 overnight closures: driving to Bournemouth this weekend

Drivers heading to Bournemouth along the M27 face overnight lane closures on the next two weekends. National Highways is carrying out verge maintenance and finishing work between 8pm and 6am on Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 September, then again on Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 October, the Bournemouth Echo reported on 24 September.

The M27 is the motorway most people use to reach Bournemouth from Portsmouth, Southampton and the M3 from London. It runs west to meet the A31 near Cadnam, which carries traffic past Ringwood towards Bournemouth.

Where and when are the M27 closures?

The lane closures run overnight only, from 8pm to 6am, on four nights across two weekends. National Highways says the work moves progressively along the motorway, so the disruption will shift between sections rather than sit in one place. Drivers are asked to plan ahead and allow extra time.

There is a separate overnight closure of the junction 8 eastbound entry slip road on Monday 28 September. Junction 8 serves the Bursledon and Hedge End side of Southampton. Drivers who would normally join eastbound there are told to join the M27 westbound, leave at junction 7 and come back onto the eastbound carriageway.

National Highways publishes its planned closures on its own site, and its page on M27 schemes lists the wider works on the route. Check it on the day, as overnight plans can change with the weather.

Will it affect a weekend trip to Bournemouth?

For most visitors, probably not much. The closures start at 8pm, so anyone arriving for a Friday or Saturday break during the afternoon or early evening should miss them. The drivers most likely to notice are those travelling late on the Saturday or Sunday night, or setting off before 6am.

The junction 8 slip road closure affects journeys eastbound from the Hedge End area, so it matters mainly on the way home towards Portsmouth and Sussex, and only overnight on the Monday.

What it means for visitors and long-stay guests

If you are coming down late on one of these nights, allow extra time and have a plan for the last stretch. The Bournemouth Guide's page on travel information covers road and rail routes into town, and our guide to getting to Bournemouth from London compares the train, the coach and the car.

Once you are here, parking is its own question: our explainer on parking in Bournemouth in 2026 covers the higher charges, and the Help Centre's parking guide explains that Flexiestays bookings include on-site parking, with your bay number sent in the check-in instructions. Flexiestays uses contactless self check-in, so a late arrival after a slow drive is not a problem; the Help Centre explains how self check-in works.

Planning a weekend away in early October? The Bournemouth Guide's autumn in Bournemouth page has ideas for the season, and Flexiestays' short-term stays cover a night or two. The A31 crosses the New Forest on the final stretch, and a daytime stop there is a better use of the journey than a late-night crawl past roadworks.