Twyford Down Cutting

United Kingdom / England / Compton-Otterbourne /
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On the opposite side of St. Catherine's Hill is the outline original Winchester Bypass. The Winchester bypass was a low standard, single-carriageway road which connected two sections of the M3 together and was a frequent traffic hotspot. In the early 1990s, it was announced that they were going to build a motorway on the opposite side of St. Catherine's Hill to connect the two halves together.
Unfortunately, this ran through an area of Special Scientific Interest called Twyford Down. It was very controversial, and there were masses of protests against this. There was even an order to stop building the motorway by the EU. However, the road was built anyway with a cutting through Twyford Down.
Luckily, Twyford Down survived as a nature area and a rare specie of butterflies continued to visit it. The old Winchester Bypass was removed and grassed over (you can see its outline around the hill). Less congestion around Winchester means it has greatly helped the environment.
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Coordinates:   51°2'30"N   1°18'35"W
This article was last modified 4 years ago