M3 Lorry & Freight Traffic
The M3 is a freight route as much as a commuter one. It is the road between Southampton Docks — one of the country’s largest container and vehicle ports — and the M25, and the lorry figures show exactly where that traffic gets on and off.
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Latest accident or incident on the M3
The most recent accident or incident on the M3 that we are aware of.
M3 Eastbound Jct 2 to Jct 1 carriageway closure
00:462 Sept 2026reported 10 min ago
- Location
- M3 eastbound between J2 and J1
- Direction
- Eastbound
- Lanes closed
- Carriageway closed
- Reason
- Other
- Schedule
- 22:00 Tue 1 Sept → 05:30 Wed 2 Sept
Latest active roadworks on the M3
Roadworks live on the M3 right now.
A303 eastbound crematorium to M3 carriageway closure
00:462 Sept 2026reported 10 min ago
- Location
- M3 eastbound between J8 and J7
- Direction
- Eastbound
- Lanes closed
- Carriageway closed
- Reason
- Roadworks
- Schedule
- 20:54 Tue 1 Sept → 06:00 Wed 2 Sept
+ 1 more active roadworks - search all M3 traffic news →
Latest planned roadworks on the M3
The next planned roadworks scheduled on the M3.
Search all the latest M3 traffic news →
Updated 00:57 Wed 2 Sept
Powered by National Highways’ Transport Data Feeds.
Every stretch of the M3 by lorry traffic
Department for Transport 2025 figures, heaviest first. “Lorries” means all HGVs; vans are counted separately.
| Stretch | Lorries per day | All traffic | Lorry share | Vans |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| J10 Chilcomb to J11 Compton | 11,545 | 126,217 | 9.1% | 21,990 |
| J9 Winchester to J10 Chilcomb | 10,404 | 110,741 | 9.4% | 18,377 |
| J13 Chilworth to J14 (M27) | 9,901 | 140,750 | 7.0% | 23,683 |
| J12 Eastleigh to J13 Chilworth | 9,893 | 130,785 | 7.6% | 21,734 |
| J11 Compton to J12 Eastleigh | 9,384 | 128,023 | 7.3% | 21,473 |
| J3 Lightwater to Kitsmead Lane flyover | 8,271 | 123,417 | 6.7% | 17,926 |
| Kitsmead Lane flyover to the M25 (J2) | 7,713 | 113,905 | 6.8% | 15,521 |
| J4 Frimley to J3 Lightwater | 6,774 | 118,589 | 5.7% | 19,237 |
| J8 A303 to J7 Basingstoke (est.) | 5,995 | 101,834 | 5.9% | 15,874 |
| J7 to J6 Basingstoke (est.) | 5,972 | 94,624 | 6.3% | 14,660 |
| J6 Basingstoke to J5 Hook | 5,892 | 103,624 | 5.7% | 16,409 |
| J5 Hook to J4A Fleet | 5,578 | 96,243 | 5.8% | 14,516 |
| J4A Fleet to J4 Frimley | 5,104 | 93,372 | 5.5% | 15,825 |
| J9 Winchester to J8 A303 | 3,515 | 56,135 | 6.3% | 10,433 |
| J2 (M25) to J1 Sunbury (est.) | 1,892 | 62,848 | 3.0% | 10,905 |
Where the freight joins
The A34 at Junction 9 is the pivot. North of it the M3 carries 3,515 lorries a day and they are 6.3% of the traffic. South of it: 10,404 lorries, 9.4% — the highest lorry share anywhere on the motorway. The A34 is the direct route between Southampton Docks and the Midlands, and Junction 9 is where it arrives.
The heaviest single stretch by count is J10 Chilcomb to J11 Compton, with 11,545 lorries a day on eight tenths of a mile of road.
Why it matters when something goes wrong
A lane closure on a stretch carrying 11,545 lorries a day behaves differently from one on a commuter stretch. Lorries need longer to stop, take longer to clear, and an overturned HGV can close a carriageway for hours rather than minutes. Where our news reports a lorry incident on the M3 we say so, because it changes how long you should expect to wait.
Vans are the quieter half of the story and they are growing: 23,683 a day on the stretch into the M27, close to one vehicle in six.