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M3
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M3 Traffic News

M3 Motorway · London (Sunbury) → Southampton (M27)
M3 TRAFFIC NOW
M3 SOUTHBOUND J8–J9CLOSED 21:00–06:00PLANNED CLOSURE TONIGHT
Planned tonight, 1 of 1
Clear ⏱ Updated 12:57

M3 traffic at 12:57 on Tuesday 3 November: 1 closure running now · 1 closure tonight.

M3 traffic now: accidents & incidents by direction at 12:57
→ M3 eastbound traffic(northbound / London-bound)✅ No incidents reported ← M3 westbound traffic(southbound / Southampton-bound)✅ No incidents reported
🚨 0 incidents 🚧 1 roadworks · 3 soon
🔍
52 miles long
Junctions J1–J14
Regions: London, South East, South West
Home › Traffic › Roads › M3

🚨 M3 traffic now: live incidents & roadworks

Updates every 5 min
Share M3 status: 💬 📘 X
No live incidents on the M3 right now — checking National Highways every 5 minutes, 24/7. Closures are listed below.

🌙 M3 closures tonight and the next 3 days 4

From National Highways' closure report, in their words. Times can change - check before you set off.

  • Partial closure
    Northbound M3 northbound Jct 9 entry slip road closure
    Now · until 06:00 Mon 1 Nov
  • Full closure
    Southbound M3 southbound Jct 8 to Jct 9 carriageway closure
    Tonight · 21:00–06:00
  • Full closure
    Westbound M3 Westbound Jct 2 carriageway closure between exit and entry slip roads
    Tomorrow night · 22:00–05:30
    Diversion: Diversion via Local Authority and National Highway network
  • Full closure
    Northbound M3 northbound Jct 10 to Jct 8 carriageway closure
    Thu 5 Nov · 21:00–06:00
All M3 roadworks & diversions →

Is the M3 closed? Quick answers

Checked 12:57 on Tuesday 3 November 2026.

Is the M3 closed right now?

No. There is no full closure on the M3 at 12:57.

Is there an incident on the M3 right now?

No. No incidents are reported on the M3 at 12:57.

Is the M3 closed tonight?

Yes. The M3 has 1 full closure planned tonight (Tue 3 Nov, 18:00 to 06:00): southbound Jct 8 to Jct 9 carriageway closure, 21:00 to 06:00. Plus 1 lane or slip road closure.

Tonight: M3 closures and diversions ›

Is the M3 closed this weekend?

Yes. The M3 has 2 full closures planned this weekend (Fri 6 Nov 18:00 to Mon 9 Nov 06:00): northbound Jct 9 to Jct 8 carriageway closure, from Fri 6 Nov 21:00, until Mon 9 Nov 06:00; and southbound Jct 8 to Jct 9 carriageway closure, from Fri 6 Nov 21:00, until Mon 9 Nov 06:00. Plus 3 lane or slip road closures.

This weekend: M3 closures and diversions ›

Is there an accident on the M3 today?

No. No collision has been reported on the M3 since midnight.

M3 accidents today and yesterday ›

Answers use official data only: the National Highways live incident feed and their planned closure report. Times can change, so check before you set off.

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🗺️ M3 Traffic Map — Where It's Happening

Tap a pin for full incident detail. Live positions from National Highways.

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  • The delay and junctions National Highways report, worst first
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When you hearOnce a dayAs it builds
Queues and congestionMajor incidents onlyOn your roads
Your own alert hoursNoYes
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🔢 M3 Junction Status

Tap a junction for its page

🟢 Clear · 🟡 Delays nearby · 🔴 Severe/Crash · Status labels: 💥 CRASH · ❌ CLOSED · 🐌 SLOW · 🚧 WORKS · ⚠️ HAZARD

A red or orange junction border marks a STATS19 collision blackspot. Tap any junction for its own page — live incidents and full collision history. Tap the funnel to filter the list above.

📊 How busy is the M3?

The M3 carries up to 140,751 vehicles a day at its busiest stretch (J13–J14), including 9,901 HGVs — the 11th busiest motorway in Britain. Official Department for Transport counts, 2025.

140,751
🚗 vehicles a day · J13–J14
9,901
🚛 lorries a day
2025
📅 DfT count year
7% HGVs
share of traffic on the busiest stretch
Busiest stretch of each motorway — vehicles a day
M25 212,636
M6 187,521
M56 179,634
M1 162,446
M8 158,065
M4 156,491
M3 140,751
View as table
RoadBusiest stretchVehicles/dayHGVs/dayHGV share
M25 near J14 212,636 14,853 7%
M6 J20–J21 187,521 23,492 12.5%
M56 J3–J4 179,634 7,547 4.2%
M1 near J9 162,446 19,151 11.8%
M8 J16–J17 158,065 7,214 4.6%
M4 near J4 156,491 6,249 4%
M3 ◀ J13–J14 140,751 9,901 7%
Source: Department for Transport road traffic statistics, average annual daily flows 2025. Official counts, updated yearly.

📈 M3 Journey Pulse — when incidents actually happen

Measured from 187 incidents recorded on the M3 since February 2026: the riskiest window is 12:00–15:00, when 23% of incidents start. Right now (12:00) you're inside that window.

View as table
HourIncidentsShare
00:00–01:00 1 0.5%
01:00–02:00 4 2.1%
02:00–03:00 3 1.6%
03:00–04:00 2 1.1%
04:00–05:00 6 3.2%
05:00–06:00 3 1.6%
06:00–07:00 11 5.9%
07:00–08:00 8 4.3%
08:00–09:00 5 2.7%
09:00–10:00 12 6.4%
10:00–11:00 12 6.4%
11:00–12:00 13 7%
12:00–13:00 ◀ peak 12 6.4%
13:00–14:00 ◀ peak 17 9.1%
14:00–15:00 ◀ peak 14 7.5%
15:00–16:00 10 5.3%
16:00–17:00 10 5.3%
17:00–18:00 11 5.9%
18:00–19:00 8 4.3%
19:00–20:00 9 4.8%
20:00–21:00 6 3.2%
21:00–22:00 8 4.3%
22:00–23:00 1 0.5%
23:00–00:00 1 0.5%
Measured from 187 incidents recorded by this site since February 2026 (planned roadworks excluded). Recomputed nightly from our incident archive.

🧭 Along the M3

🔀 Major interchanges — where the M3 meets other roads
J2M25 J14M27
🔀J2
M25 Interchange
The M3's connection to the London orbital
⛰️J9
Twyford Down
Deep chalk cutting near Winchester, completed 1995
🔀J14
M27 Interchange
Southern end at Southampton, joining the M27
🏉
Twickenham Stadium
Via the A316 at the eastern end, off Whitton Road

📍 Heading to… off the M3

The places people drive to most, the M3 junction for each, and live M3 incidents nearby at 12:57.

Racecourse

Kempton Park Racecourse

Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey
🛣️ M3 junction: J1
✅ No M3 incidents reported within 3 miles

Boxing Day King George VI Chase; less than a mile from M3 J1

🧭 Directions M3 J1 live Surrey traffic
Racecourse

Ascot Racecourse

Ascot, Berkshire
🛣️ M3 junction: J3
✅ No M3 incidents reported within 3 miles

Flat and jumps racing; hosts Royal Ascot and British Champions Day

🧭 Directions M3 J3 live Berkshire traffic
Theme park

LEGOLAND Windsor Resort

Windsor, Berkshire
🛣️ M3 junction: J3
✅ No M3 incidents reported within 3 miles

Theme park on the B3022 Windsor–Ascot road, two miles from Windsor town centre

🧭 Directions M3 J3 live Berkshire traffic
Zoo & wildlife

Marwell Zoo

Colden Common, Winchester, Hampshire
🛣️ M3 junction: J11
✅ No M3 incidents reported within 3 miles

140-acre zoo with 488,557 visitors in 2025

🧭 Directions M3 J11 live Hampshire traffic
Airport

Southampton Airport

Eastleigh, Hampshire
🛣️ Via the M3
✅ No M3 incidents reported within 3 miles

885,266 passengers in 2025; just off M27 J5 via the A335

🧭 Directions Hampshire traffic

⚠️ Most Dangerous M3 Junctions

Based on DfT STATS19 police collision records. The M3 has 1,304 recorded collisions at 20 collision hotspots, involving 2,079 casualties (16 fatal). Take extra care here. Ranked by fatal, then serious collisions, then casualties - not by the number of collisions alone.

#1
J10
189 collisions · 286 casualties · 3 fatal · 37 serious
Severe Blackspot
#2
J11
132 collisions · 201 casualties · 3 fatal · 23 serious
Severe Blackspot
#3
J9
36 collisions · 58 casualties · 2 fatal · 10 serious
Severe Blackspot
#4
J3
108 collisions · 173 casualties · 1 fatal · 23 serious
Severe Blackspot
#5
nr Camberley
69 collisions · 126 casualties · 1 fatal · 12 serious
Severe Blackspot
#6
J5
46 collisions · 74 casualties · 1 fatal · 11 serious
Severe Blackspot
🔍 See the full M3 collision blackspot map →

🛒 Journey Essentials

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📰 M3 traffic news, updates and closures

This is the M3 traffic news page from UK Traffic Updates: M3 traffic now, for the whole road from London (Sunbury) to Southampton (M27). Every crash, breakdown, lane closure, delay and roadworks National Highways report for the M3 is listed at the top, checked every 5 minutes, 24 hours a day, with the worst on the sign and where it is: the nearest towns and the county.

National Highways has closed its Traffic England website, so the live M3 information people used to check there is here in one place: today's M3 incidents, M3 closures tonight from their daily closure report, M3 roadworks, M3 accidents today, the junction-by-junction status and a live map. Our M3 traffic videos show what it looks like on the road, and drivers can report what they see as it happens.

Want M3 traffic updates sent to you? Pick the free daily road summary or Early Warning alerts for the roads you drive. For every other motorway and A-road, see live UK traffic now.

❓ M3 Traffic — Frequently Asked Questions

Is the M3 closed today?

Any M3 closure appears in the live feed above within minutes of National Highways reporting it, including tonight's overnight roadworks closures.

Is there traffic on the M3 today?

The live feed above shows every incident, delay, roadwork and overnight closure on the M3, updated every 5 minutes, 24 hours a day, from National Highways.

Is there an incident on the M3 right now?

Every live incident on the M3 — police incidents, obstructions, breakdowns, debris, collisions and closures — appears in the live feed above within minutes of National Highways reporting it, updated every 5 minutes, 24 hours a day.

What is the worst time to use the M3?

The M3 is typically busiest during morning rush hour (07:00–09:30) and evening rush hour (16:30–19:00) on weekdays.

Are there roadworks on the M3 right now?

There is currently 1 active roadwork scheme on the M3. Check the live feed above for exact locations and durations.

What roads connect to the M3?

The M3 connects to: M25, A322, M27, A34.

Where can I get M3 traffic news and updates?

Right here. This M3 traffic news page shows M3 traffic now: every live incident, delay, closure and roadworks National Highways report, updated every 5 minutes, 24 hours a day, with tonight's planned closures, junction-by-junction status and a live map. For M3 traffic updates sent to you, sign up on this page for the free daily road summary or Early Warning alerts for the roads you drive.

Is there an accident on the M3 eastbound or westbound today?

Each side has its own live page: the M3 eastbound and the M3 westbound each list every accident, breakdown, closure and roadworks on that carriageway, updated every 5 minutes, 24 hours a day, from National Highways. The panel at the top of this page shows both sides at a glance.

How many vehicles use the M3 every day?

Official Department for Transport counts (2025) record 140,751 vehicles a day on the M3's busiest stretch (J13–J14), 9,901 of them HGVs. The full breakdown and comparison chart are in the traffic statistics section above.

How busy is the M3 compared with other motorways?

The M3 has the 11th busiest motorway stretch in Britain at 140,751 vehicles a day (DfT 2025), behind the M25's 212,636 a day at the top.

What time of day is the M3 worst for incidents?

Measured from 187 incidents recorded on the M3 since February 2026, the riskiest window is 12:00–15:00, when 23% of incidents start. The quietest is 22:00–01:00. Incidents on the M3 typically clear in about 54 minutes.

📊 M3 Status Summary

0
Active incidents
0
Severe/serious
1
Roadworks
12:57
Last updated
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ℹ️ M3 Road Details

Length
52 miles
Junctions
J1–J14
From
London (Sunbury)
To
Southampton (M27)
Type
Motorway
AM Rush
07:00–09:30
PM Rush
16:30–19:00

📍 Key M3 Locations

Sunbury Basingstoke Winchester Southampton

🔗 Roads Connecting to the M3

M25 M25 trafficMeets the M3 at J2 Live → M27 M27 trafficMeets the M3 at J14 Live → A34 A34 trafficA34 Trunk Road Live →

🛣️ M3 Services & Motorway Stops

WB Fleet Services
J4A–5 · Welcome Break · 🔋 EV · 🏨 View → M Winchester Services
J8–9 · Moto · 🔋 EV View → All motorway services →

🔗 Related Tools

🛣️My Commute — save your route NEW 🚧M3 Roadworks View → 🕵️Was I Affected? Check → 🔄Route Checker Plan → 📋Incident Archive Browse → 🗺️Live Map View →

📱 Follow M3 traffic updates

Daily M3 incidents, posted across all four channels.

🎵 TikTok 35,000+ › ▶️ YouTube 2,000+ › 📸 Instagram 1,500+ › 📢Report an incident›

Junction

DfT STATS19 police collision records

0
Collisions
0
Fatal
0
Serious
0
Slight
🔍 Full blackspot map →
Beat the jam

Know before you go on M3

Set it up once. We'll tell you what's happening while you can still turn off.

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🚛 Car recovery along the M3

Broken down on the M3? Pick the nearest town and call a local firm direct:

On a motorway? If you can, get onto the hard shoulder or into an emergency area, leave by the left-hand doors and wait behind the barrier. Stuck in a live lane: stay in the car with your seatbelt on and hazard lights on, and call 999.

🆘 Send one free requestAll breakdown services