M3 motorway (Great Britain) in the context of "A3 road"

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⭐ Core Definition: M3 motorway (Great Britain)

The M3 is a motorway in England, from Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey, to Eastleigh, Hampshire; a distance of approximately 59 miles (95 km). The route includes the Aldershot Urban Area, Basingstoke, Winchester, and Southampton.

It was constructed as a dual three-lane motorway except for its two-lane section between junction 8 (A303) and junction 9. The motorway was opened in phases, ranging from Lightwater/Bagshot to Popham in 1971 to Winchester to Otterbourne Hill in 1995. The latter stages attracted opposition from environmental campaigns across Britain due to its large cutting through wooded Twyford Down; numerous road protests were held which delayed its opening. Similar protests were avoided on the near-parallel A3 by the construction of the Hindhead Tunnel. Since completion, the motorway has been an artery to the west and midsections of the South Coast and Isle of Wight including for tourism. The major settlements nearest to the motorway are served by a railway also used for commuting but are relatively dispersed. Traffic on the M3 sees delays and congestion on its busiest sections near commuting hotspots and during holiday periods. From Chertsey to Fleet the road was in 2017 converted to a Smart Motorway, turning the hard shoulder into a permanent fourth lane with emergency refuge lay-bys.

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M3 motorway (Great Britain) in the context of A34 road (Great Britain)

The A34 is a major road in England. It runs from the A33 and M3 at Winchester in Hampshire, to the A6 and A6042 in Salford, close to Manchester City Centre. It forms a large part of the major trunk route from Southampton, via Oxford, to Birmingham, The Potteries and Manchester. For most of its length (together with the A5011 and parts of the A50, and A49), it forms part of the former Winchester–Preston Trunk Road. Improvements to the section of road forming the Newbury Bypass around Newbury were the scene of significant direct action environmental protests in the 1990s. It is 151 miles (243 km) long.

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M3 motorway (Great Britain) in the context of Staines-upon-Thames

Staines-upon-Thames, commonly known simply as Staines, is a market town in northwest Surrey, England, around 17 miles (28 kilometres) west of central London. It is in the Borough of Spelthorne, at the confluence of the River Thames and Colne. Historically part of Middlesex, the town was transferred to Surrey in 1965. Staines is close to Heathrow Airport and is linked to the national motorway network by the M25 and M3. The town is part of the Greater London Built-up Area.

The earliest evidence of human activity in the area is from the Paleolithic and, during the Neolithic, there was a causewayed enclosure on Staines Moor. The first bridge across the Thames at Staines is thought to have been built by the Romans and there was a settlement in the area around the modern High Street by the end of the 1st century CE. Throughout the Middle Ages, Staines was primarily an agricultural settlement and was held by Westminster Abbey. The first surviving record of a market is from 1218, but one may have taken place near St Mary's Church in the Anglo-Saxon period.

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M3 motorway (Great Britain) in the context of A30 road

The A30 is a major road in England, running 284 miles (457 km) WSW from London to Land's End.

The road has been a principal axis in Britain from the 17th century to early 19th century, as a major coaching route and post road. It used to provide the fastest route from London to the South West by land until a century before roads were numbered; nowadays much of this function is performed by the M3 (including A316) and A303 roads. The road has kept its principal status in the west from Honiton, Devon to Land's End where it is mainly dual carriageway and retains trunk road status.

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M3 motorway (Great Britain) in the context of North Warnborough

North Warnborough is a village in the Hart district of Hampshire, England. It is in the civil parish of Odiham. It is located less than 2 miles (3.2 km) south of the town of Hook, on the opposite side of the M3 motorway, and just north-west of the village of Odiham. The Basingstoke Canal passes through the village, and the River Whitewater flows to the north.

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M3 motorway (Great Britain) in the context of Odiham

Odiham (/ˈdiəm/ ) is a large historic village and civil parish in the Hart district of Hampshire, England. It is twinned with Sourdeval in the Manche Department of France. The 2011 population was 4,406. The parish in 1851 had an area of 7,354 acres with 50 acres covered by water. The nearest railway station is at Hook, on the South West main line. The village had its own hundred, named The Hundred of Odiham. The village is situated slightly south of the M3 motorway and approximately midway between the north Hampshire towns of Fleet and Basingstoke, some 37 miles (59.5 km) north-northeast of Southampton and 43 miles (69 km) southwest of London.

RAF Odiham, home of the Royal Air Force's Chinook heavy lift helicopter fleet, lies to the south of the village.

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M3 motorway (Great Britain) in the context of Dogmersfield

Dogmersfield is a small village lying between the towns of Fleet and Hartley Wintney in Hampshire, England. The M3 motorway and railway stations at Fleet and Winchfield provide routes to London.

Places of interest include the village church, which is dedicated to All Saints, the Queen's Head pub and a mansion house, Dogmersfield Park. Henry VIII's elder brother Arthur, Prince of Wales, and his bride Catherine of Aragon are said to have stayed in the village. The land where the manor is located was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Doccemere feld".

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M3 motorway (Great Britain) in the context of Fleet, Hampshire

Fleet is a town and civil parish in the Hart District of Hampshire, England, centred 38 miles (61 km) south-west of London and 13 miles (21 km) east of Basingstoke, near the towns of Farnborough, Aldershot and Farnham. The town is sometimes referred to as Fleet and Crookham, as the urban development is continuous and inseparable between Fleet, Church Crookham and Crookham Village, while the civil parish of Fleet Town Council manages Fleet town centre and its surrounding areas.

It is the largest town of the Hart District and features several major technology business areas, fast rail links to London, and a nearby connection to the M3 motorway. The nearby motorway service station, Fleet services, is named after the town. Fleet railway station is the only railway station in the town, providing direct commuter services to major cities such as London, Winchester, Southampton and Portsmouth. The Basingstoke Canal runs through the town; once a major transport route for goods, it has become a leisure route and an important habitat for waterfowl.

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M3 motorway (Great Britain) in the context of Sunbury-on-Thames

Sunbury-on-Thames, known locally as Sunbury, is a town on the north bank of the River Thames in the Borough of Spelthorne, Surrey, England, 13 mi (21 km) southwest of central London. Historically part of the county of Middlesex, in 1965 Sunbury and other surrounding towns were initially intended to form part of the newly created county of Greater London, but were instead transferred to Surrey. Sunbury adjoins Feltham to the north, Hampton to the east, Ashford to the northwest and Shepperton to the southwest. Walton-on-Thames is to the south, on the opposite bank of the Thames.

The town has two main focal points: Lower Sunbury (known locally as Sunbury Village), adjoining the river. Sunbury Common (known locally as Sunbury Cross) is to the north and surrounds the railway station and the London end of the M3 motorway. Lower Sunbury contains most of the town's parks, pubs and listed buildings, whereas Sunbury Common is more urban and includes offices and hotels. Lower Sunbury holds an annual fair and regatta each August.

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