CIG_BIG_CIG wrote:

Has the Hook underpass always had the layout it has now where lane 1
diverges off from the rest of the road? Also, has it always had the
slip roads to/from the A3 on the London side only? i.e. have you
always had to drive from Hook to Esher to go towards Pompey if you
were not already on the A3?

No, originally the A3 carried on along what is now the A309 and the Hook
Underpass was just a normal roundabout with slip roads on to the A3 at
both ends.

If you travel along the slip road from the A309 onto the roundabout
(eastbound) you can see the the embankment that used to carry the A3
Kingston by pass before it was diverted onto the Esher By-pass. It's now
grassed over - but still has a bridge over a small stream.

If you aren't already on the A3 but want to go southbound on it there's
no need to go via Esher a better way is to go the other way to Tolworth
and back down again or via Chessington/Oxshot