Plans to widen the A23 in West Sussex approved

[Robot Chicken]

About time too

A major project to widen a section of the A23 between Crawley and Brighton is to go ahead.

The scheme for a three-lane carriageway in each direction between Handcross and Warninglid in West Sussex will cost between £76m and £105m.

The Department for Transport said widening the road would improve journey time and safety. Initial work will start in the summer with the project due for completion in early 2014.

A public inquiry was held in June 2009 amid concerns the scheme would pass through an ancient woodland. Since then, the government has accepted the changes recommended by the planning inspector.

Transport Minister Chris Mole said he was pleased to see the scheme go through its "final planning stages

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/sussex/8573423.stm

 

[cardboard]

I still don't get why there are so many crashes on that stretch? You can comfortably do 70 round there with no probs whatsoever.

 

[warsaw]

f*** that! They need to dual Polegate to Lewes NOW

 

[mcshane in the 79th]

f*** that! They need to dual Polegate to Lewes NOW

Agreed! Badly needs a second lane along that stretch

 

[mcshane in the 79th]

Is the congestion ever that bad on that bit of the A23 anyway??

 

[cardboard]

In all seriousness it where 3 lanes go into 2 from both directions and the lighting disappears - not good!!!

 

[Marc]

was hoping they'd build a f*** off big bridge...that'd be COOL!

 

[West Hoathly Seagull]

At last. Now if they would do the Arundel bypass, Worthing-Lancing improvement and the Lewes to Polegate improvement, we would be on the way to a decent road system in Sussex. However, I imagine that is very unlikely. The only other schemes in the pipeline are a couple of underpasses on the Chichester bypass, some grade separations on the A24 and a Bexhill to Hastings link road, and the last two are county schemes. What worries me about the last one is that it will take all the A259 traffic that goes through Hastings and put it up on the Ridge Road, which is totally unsuitable for that amount of traffic.

 

[Barry Izbak]

How the fcuk can it take THREE YEARS to put in another lane in for about a mile?

 

[goldstone]

Is the congestion ever that bad on that bit of the A23 anyway??

It most certainly is! Rush hours morning n/b, evening s/b, and sundays n/b late pm early evening.

And frequent accidents causing massive tail-backs and rat-runs.

No doubt the rat-run crowd will be disturbing the country lanes during the construction period!

 

[GNF on Tour]

f*** that! They need to dual Polegate to Lewes NOW

Get the train.

 

[Notters]

How the fcuk can it take THREE YEARS to put in another lane in for about a mile?

Er, four.

 

[Barry Izbak]

Er, four.

Yep. You're right. Well that's ok then.

 

[1066gull]

On the subject or roads, the Bexhill Hastings bypass will probably finally be complete by the end of the decade.

It goes straight through a local dairy farmer to us, and he is selling up in the summer as a result. He must be loaded by the time the council pays him off.

 

[BensGrandad]

The most advenurous plan was for the motorway between Folkestone and Honiton but that has been shelved and we are left with a lot of bottle necks on the A27 and then the A31 west of Southampton.

 

[Cian]

I still don't get why there are so many crashes on that stretch? You can comfortably do 70 round there with no probs whatsoever.

When you know the road, yeah. First time doing it (southbound, in the dark) as an outsider was a bit scary, stability control kicked in on the car. Grand now having driven it a few times.

edit: admittedly I was going closer to 90 than 70, come to think of it, forgot the UK speed limits were lower

 

[West Hoathly Seagull]

The most advenurous plan was for the motorway between Folkestone and Honiton but that has been shelved and we are left with a lot of bottle necks on the A27 and then the A31 west of Southampton.

BG, I don't think there ever was a plan to build a motorway all the way from Folkestone to Honiton, and the M27 can never be extended west of Cadnam, as it would go across the New Forest, and the charter which governs the forest will not allow this to happen. It was supposed to go to Chichester, however. This site gives more information:

Pathetic Motorways

 

[Chicken Runner61]

How the fcuk can it take THREE YEARS to put in another lane in for about a mile?

How the fcuk can it cost £105M?

 

[Barrel of Fun]

When you know the road, yeah. First time doing it (southbound, in the dark) as an outsider was a bit scary, stability control kicked in on the car. Grand now having driven it a few times.

edit: admittedly I was going closer to 90 than 70, come to think of it, forgot the UK speed limits were lower

Thanks for making our roads in Sussex safer. Take a plane and train next time, thank you and please.

 

[BensGrandad]

BG, I don't think there ever was a plan to build a motorway all the way from Folkestone to Honiton, and the M27 can never be extended west of Cadnam, as it would go across the New Forest, and the charter which governs the forest will not allow this to happen. It was supposed to go to Chichester, however. This site gives more information:

Pathetic Motorways

Sorry I used the wrong word it wasnt a motorway but actually listed as a trunk road. Which I think meant a dual carriage way for most of it. Despite buying all the houses in Arundel Rd Worthing the scheme was shelved and the houses sold back to the general public at ridiculously low prices, nothing like the price that was originally paid for the compulsory purchase.

Hence the A27 comes to a dead end going nowhere near Crossbush. I think the plan there was to build a fly over that took traffic over the Arun to rejoin the A27 west of the Hospital and White Horse pub, and thus completely avoid Arundel.