The A3 closes overnight north of Longmoor from 1 September, pushing diverted traffic through Bordon and Alton. Plus every Petersfield car park tariff for 2026.

Almost every travel problem in this part of Hampshire traces back to one road. The A3 carries Portsmouth to London traffic past Petersfield, Liss and Liphook and through the Hindhead Tunnel, and when a stretch of it shuts, the diverted traffic does not vanish. It comes through Bordon, Alton and, in one direction, Petersfield itself. That is the pattern to understand first, because the dates change but the geography does not.

What is closing this autumn

National Highways is part-way through the first resurfacing of the Hindhead Tunnel since 2011, along with a new intelligent lighting system, replacement LED road studs and new high friction surfacing on the approaches. The summer overnight work has already run; the two big closures are still ahead.

A3 overnight closures, autumn 2026 (9pm to 6am)
DatesWhat closesWhere the traffic goes
1 to 27 SeptemberA3 northbound, Longmoor junction to the Hog's BackOff at Longmoor, A325 north through Whitehill and Bordon, B3004 to Alton, A31 east
9 October to 8 NovemberA3 southbound, Hog's Back to Longmoor junctionThe same route in reverse, rejoining the A3 at Longmoor

National Highways puts the diversion at roughly ten extra miles. In practice that means four to nine weeks of long-distance night traffic on the A325 through Whitehill and Bordon and on the B3004 into Alton, on roads that were not built for it.

The A3 closure and its diversion through Bordon and Alton Schematic map of the A3 running north from Petersfield through Liss, the Longmoor junction, Liphook, the Hindhead Tunnel and Godalming to the Hog's Back at Guildford. The section from Longmoor to the Hog's Back is the one closing overnight. The signed diversion leaves the A3 at Longmoor, runs west and north on the A325 through Whitehill and Bordon, takes the B3004 to Alton, then the A31 east to rejoin at the Hog's Back. Where the diverted A3 traffic actually goes Schematic, not to scale. Overnight closures 9pm to 6am: northbound 1 to 27 September, southbound 9 October to 8 November 2026. Petersfield Liss Longmoor junction (A325) Liphook Hindhead Tunnel Godalming Hog's Back (A31) Whitehill Bordon Alton A325 B3004 A31 east A3, closed overnight A3 open The diversion adds about ten miles and runs through Whitehill, Bordon and Alton, not round them. Petersfield itself stays on the open side of the closure, so the A3 south towards Portsmouth is unaffected.
Petersfield sits south of the closed section. Bordon, Whitehill and Alton take the traffic.

The one piece of good news for Petersfield drivers: the closed stretch starts at Longmoor, which is north of the town. The A3 south towards Havant and Portsmouth and the junctions serving Petersfield itself are not part of it.

The roads that matter here, closure or no closure

Petersfield is a road junction as much as a town, and five routes do the work:

  • The A3 is the spine. Dual carriageway, grade separated, and the reason Petersfield is an hour from London and half an hour from Portsmouth. It is also the road that carries other people’s problems into the district.
  • The A272 runs east to west through the town, Winchester one way and Midhurst and Petworth the other. Single carriageway, with no realistic alternative, and National Highways has used it before as a signed diversion into Petersfield during A3 and A31 closures.
  • The A325 runs north from the Longmoor junction through Whitehill and Bordon to Farnham. It is the designated A3 diversion and also the main road for the Whitehill and Bordon new town.
  • The A32 heads south west from Alton down the Meon Valley to Fareham, the useful route to the M27 that avoids the A3.
  • The B2070, the old A3 through Liss, Liphook and Griggs Green, is the local parallel road. It is the one that fills up first when the A3 stops.

Parking in Petersfield

East Hampshire District Council raised its tariffs on 1 April 2026 under an order dated 27 February 2026. Charges apply Monday to Saturday 8am to 6pm and Sunday 10am to 4pm, and the Sunday position differs by car park, which is the detail most people get wrong.

Petersfield council car park tariffs from 1 April 2026, Monday to Saturday
Car park1 hour2 hours3 hours4 hoursAll day
Castle Yard£1.60£2.10£2.90£4.90£10.20
Swan Street£1.60£2.10£2.90£4.90£10.20
Festival Hall£1.60£2.10£2.90£3.80£9.00
Central—£2.10£2.90——
The Causeway—£2.10£2.90——

Two things follow from that table. Festival Hall is the cheapest long stay in Petersfield: £5.80 for nine hours and £9.00 all day, against £9.00 and £10.20 at Castle Yard and Swan Street. And Central and The Causeway are short stay only, capped at three hours, so they are no use for a working day.

On Sundays, Castle Yard and Festival Hall are free. Swan Street still charges its full weekday tariff, and Central and The Causeway charge £2.10 for two hours or £2.90 for three. If you drive into Petersfield on a Sunday and park in the wrong one, you pay for something the council is giving away 200 metres away.

In Alton, the Sunday split works the same way: Church Street, Vicarage Hill, Victoria Road and Rogers Court are free, while Turk Street, Lady Place, Bank, Mount Pleasant and Manor Road charge £1.50 for any length of stay between 10am and 4pm.

For commuters, the station car park is a separate system again: £9.70 for a peak day, £4.90 off-peak, or £1,354 a year across its 154 spaces.

How to check what is closed today

  • National Highways covers the A3 and the Hindhead Tunnel, and publishes the tunnel’s closure programme and diversion routes in advance.
  • Hampshire County Council is the highway authority for everything else: the A272, the A325, the B2070 and every town street. Its planned maintenance list and public notices carry temporary closures.
  • Closure dates on trunk roads change at short notice, and National Highways says so explicitly. A published date is a plan, not a promise.

Frequently asked questions

Is the A3 closed near Petersfield?

Not at Petersfield itself. The autumn 2026 closures run north of the Longmoor junction: northbound to the Hog’s Back overnight from 1 to 27 September, and southbound from the Hog’s Back overnight from 9 October to 8 November. Both are 9pm to 6am. The A3 south of Longmoor, including the Petersfield junctions, stays open.

What is the diversion when the Hindhead Tunnel closes?

Off the A3 at Longmoor, north on the A325 through Whitehill and Bordon, then the B3004 to Alton and the A31 east to the Hog’s Back, or the same route in reverse. National Highways puts it at about ten extra miles.

Where can I park free in Petersfield?

Castle Yard and the Festival Hall car park are free on Sundays, between 10am and 4pm. There is no free council parking in Petersfield on Monday to Saturday.

What is the cheapest all-day car park in Petersfield?

Festival Hall, at £9.00 for a day and £5.80 for nine hours. Castle Yard and Swan Street both charge £10.20 all day and £9.00 for nine hours.

How much has Petersfield parking gone up?

The 1 April 2026 rise took an hour from £1.50 to £1.60 and an all-day ticket at Castle Yard and Swan Street from £9.70 to £10.20, an increase of just over 5% on an all-day ticket and nearly 7% on an hour.

Related

Sources

Roadworks change week to week and trunk road closures move at short notice. Confirm against National Highways and Hampshire County Council before you travel, and check the tariff on the machine before you pay.