VolkerFitzpatrick is set to start a £100m upgrade of a motorway junction near the South Coast.
The contractor received the green light for the M27 scheme after Hampshire County Council confirmed all legal and funding arrangements were in place.
VolkerFitzpatrick will add an underpass and three slip roads to junction 10 of the highway near Fareham Common to increase its usefulness.
Welborne Garden Village developer Buckland Group is funding the project, in conjunction with Homes England, and it is being delivered by the council in partnership with National Highways.
VolkerFitzpatrick will carry out most of its work away from the main public roads to reduce disruption.
It will use a ‘boxslide’ technique next December to install a preconstructed underpass beneath the motorway, which links Portsmouth and Southampton.
The junction improvement scheme will unlock housebuilding in a new settlement north of Fareham.
Welborne Garden Village is set to feature 6,000 homes and 97,250 metres of work space, but there are limits on how much of this can be occupied before the road works are done.
The road scheme will include construction of a dual carriageway link between the upgraded motorway junction, the new development and the existing local road network.
Hampshire County Council leader Nick Adams-King described the green light for the project as “great news”.
“Supported by Buckland Group and Homes England, this investment demonstrates a strong commitment to Hampshire, bringing new jobs and economic growth,” he said.
“With early preparation now complete, main delivery can progress smoothly.”
VolkerFitzpatrick highways director Deon Scholtz said the contractor was “thrilled” to start work.
“Through collaboration and innovation, we’re dedicated to delivering new infrastructure that supports the growth of Welborne and the surrounding communities,” he added.
A project at junction 8 of the M27 was among five roads jobs scrapped by the government at the Budget in October.
