A32 road
Encyclopedia
The A32 is a road in Hampshire
, southern England
, that links Gosport
and Alton
. Starting at Gosport, facing Portsmouth
, it travels north via Fareham
, Wickham
, Droxford
, before joining the A31 road
near Alton. The road is 29.2 miles (47 km) long from the seafront at Gosport to the roundabout
with the A31 near Alton, and has entirely non-primary status.
Despite its non-primary status, the road forms the main access to the town of Gosport
. At rush-hour times, the road is often extremely congested (northbound in the morning rush, southbound in the evenings) as commuters head through central Fareham
from the Gosport peninsula to the M27
.
The main pinch-point is the 1 miles (1.6 km) long section of road between the Newgate Lane Flyover (junction B3334) and the Quay Street Roundabout in central Fareham
where traffic delays often cause northbound tailbacks of 3 miles (4.8 km) at peak times. During the evening rush, traffic can at times back up to the M27
at Junction 11 and along the slow lane (Lane One) of the motorway.
There have for many years been plans to provide a light rail
solution to the traffic problem by utilising the former Gosport to Fareham railway line but this was scrapped in 2005. There are now tentative plans to use the railway line for guided bus
services.
The A32 is a popular route for motorcyclist's particularly at weekends, the cafe ( now Loomies,formerly a "little chef") where the A272 crosses the A32 at West Meon has become central meeting place for many groups of riders. The historic site of Fort Widley to the south is easily accessed from Wickham and is a popular route for motorcyclists.
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, southern England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, that links Gosport
Gosport
Gosport is a town, district and borough situated on the south coast of England, within the county of Hampshire. It has approximately 80,000 permanent residents with a further 5,000-10,000 during the summer months...
and Alton
Alton, Hampshire
Alton is a historic market town and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of the English county of Hampshire. It had a population of 16,584 at the 1991 census and is administered by East Hampshire district council. It is located on the source of the River Wey and is the highest town in...
. Starting at Gosport, facing Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
, it travels north via Fareham
Fareham
The market town of Fareham lies in the south east of Hampshire, England, between the cities of Southampton and Portsmouth, roughly in the centre of the South Hampshire conurbation.It gives its name to the borough comprising the town and the surrounding area...
, Wickham
Wickham
Wickham, formerly spelled Wykeham, is a small historic village and civil parish in Hampshire, southern England, located about three miles north of Fareham. It is within the City of Winchester local government district, although it is considerably closer to Fareham than to Winchester...
, Droxford
Droxford
Droxford is a village in Hampshire, England, lying in the Meon valley, and lies around 3¾ miles east of Bishop's Waltham within the new South Downs National Park. The A32 passes through the village between Gosport and Alton...
, before joining the A31 road
A31 road
The A31 is a major trunk road in southern England that runs from Guildford in Surrey to Bere Regis in Dorset.-Route of road:The road begins in the centre of Guildford, meeting the A3 road before running south west along the Hog's Back. It continues past Farnham, Alton and New Alresford before...
near Alton. The road is 29.2 miles (47 km) long from the seafront at Gosport to the roundabout
Roundabout
A roundabout is the name for a road junction in which traffic moves in one direction around a central island. The word dates from the early 20th century. Roundabouts are common in many countries around the world...
with the A31 near Alton, and has entirely non-primary status.
Despite its non-primary status, the road forms the main access to the town of Gosport
Gosport
Gosport is a town, district and borough situated on the south coast of England, within the county of Hampshire. It has approximately 80,000 permanent residents with a further 5,000-10,000 during the summer months...
. At rush-hour times, the road is often extremely congested (northbound in the morning rush, southbound in the evenings) as commuters head through central Fareham
Fareham
The market town of Fareham lies in the south east of Hampshire, England, between the cities of Southampton and Portsmouth, roughly in the centre of the South Hampshire conurbation.It gives its name to the borough comprising the town and the surrounding area...
from the Gosport peninsula to the M27
M27 motorway
The M27 is a motorway in Hampshire, England. It is long and runs west-east from Cadnam to Portsmouth. It was opened in stages between 1975 and 1983. It is however unfinished as an extension to the east was planned...
.
The main pinch-point is the 1 miles (1.6 km) long section of road between the Newgate Lane Flyover (junction B3334) and the Quay Street Roundabout in central Fareham
Fareham
The market town of Fareham lies in the south east of Hampshire, England, between the cities of Southampton and Portsmouth, roughly in the centre of the South Hampshire conurbation.It gives its name to the borough comprising the town and the surrounding area...
where traffic delays often cause northbound tailbacks of 3 miles (4.8 km) at peak times. During the evening rush, traffic can at times back up to the M27
M27 motorway
The M27 is a motorway in Hampshire, England. It is long and runs west-east from Cadnam to Portsmouth. It was opened in stages between 1975 and 1983. It is however unfinished as an extension to the east was planned...
at Junction 11 and along the slow lane (Lane One) of the motorway.
There have for many years been plans to provide a light rail
Light rail
Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
solution to the traffic problem by utilising the former Gosport to Fareham railway line but this was scrapped in 2005. There are now tentative plans to use the railway line for guided bus
Guided bus
Guided buses are buses steered for part or all of their route by external means, usually on a dedicated track. This track, which often parallels existing roads, excludes other traffic, permitting the maintenance of reliable schedules on heavily used corridors even during rush hours.Guidance systems...
services.
External links
The A32 is a popular route for motorcyclist's particularly at weekends, the cafe ( now Loomies,formerly a "little chef") where the A272 crosses the A32 at West Meon has become central meeting place for many groups of riders. The historic site of Fort Widley to the south is easily accessed from Wickham and is a popular route for motorcyclists.