PLANS have been unveiled to create a new junction on the M27 to link up the entrance of a proposed £3bn tunnel link between Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

Able Connections Ltd, the group developing plans for a cross-Solent tunnel link, say motorists will enter the tunnel on the mainland from a link with the motorway between junctions 9 and 10.

A 900m long slip road would run from the motorway to the entrance of the 10-mile long tunnel near Titchfield. The tunnel portal will be located on greenfield land between the A27 Southampton Road and Mill Lane.

Able are also proposing a second mainland link road from Gosport to the tunnel portal.

Motorists travelling from the mainland would emerge on the island at Whippingham, near Cowes.

There would also be additional roads connecting the new motorway junction with a proposed park-and-ride at Segensworth to integrate with Rapid Transit bus links.

Carl Feeney, director of Able Connections, told the Echo that the tunnel could be open by 2026 following two years of consultation and detailed analysis with transport bodies, infrastructure specialists and tunnel builders.

Mr Feeney said: “The tunnel will alleviate the pressures on the ferries and would steer HGV and freight movements away from Southampton and Portsmouth.”

Mr Feeney also claimed the tunnel would double the rate of traffic flow between the mainland and the island from 5,700 vehicles a day to around 12,000.

A spokesperson from Highways England said: “We are aware of the proposals and will look to be meeting with developers.”

However, residents and community groups have come out against the plans.

Chairman of the Titchfield Village Trust, Nick Girdler said: “This is an absolutely ridiculous suggestion which could destroy the plans already in place for a country park on that very site.

“It’s also a historic area with the Tythe Barn which is immediately adjacent to Titchfield Abbey which is run by English Heritage and is a scheduled ancient monument.”

Councillor Sean Woodward, the leader of Fareham Borough Council described the project as “undeliverable, unviable and impractical” and said he’s had no formal contact with Able about the proposals.

Councillor Mark Hook, the leader of Gosport Borough Council, said he couldn’t envisage the tunnel becoming a reality.

Councillor Julie Jones-Evans, the Independent parliamentary candidate for the Isle of Wight called for a government backed feasibility study into the tunnel.

She said: “The fixed link is an issue that we cannot ignore any longer. Last year I agreed that a feasibility study should be undertaken.

According to a survey carried out by Able, 66 per cent of people were in favour of the tunnel.

“This is a huge undertaking and involves both sides of the Solent. It is imperative that we have the facts before a decision is made on a fixed link because then we can debate it from an informed perspective and understand all the implications.”

In a survey carried out last month By Able Connections, 5,000 island and mainland residents were asked about the tunnel – more than 66 per cent of people were in favour of the tunnel, dubbed the Solent Freedom tunnel, while 29 per cent were against and 4.9 per cent undecided.