The Coastal West Sussex Partnership has announced its support for upgrades to the A27 at Arundel proposed by the National Highways Agency and has outlined three key areas to be considered to maximise benefits for the region.
Responding to the current consultation on a new bypass at Arundel, Director of the Coastal West Sussex Partnership Caroline Wood said: "The A27 is the main arterial route across coastal West Sussex and the main connection between Brighton and Portsmouth, so it is imperative that the road works effectively for the benefit of the regional and national economy.
"We welcome the proposed upgrade to the national road network and encourage National Highways to take three areas into account as a result of the consultation.
"Firstly, because of increasing commercial and residential traffic on the Ford Road route from Littlehampton and Bognor Regis, a full junction should be considered here. There is capacity at Ford for commercial space, so good connectivity at the Ford junction could speed up opportunities for these commercial sites.
"Secondly, to minimise the impact of the new route on air quality, we suggest imposing a 50mph speed limit across the whole new section of road, and not just on the west side of the new layout.
"Lastly, there may be opportunities to link the laying of digital fibre connection to the building of the new A27 route and we encourage National Highways to liaise with West Sussex County Council so there is a 'dig once' approach for all utilities in the area, to support future growth across the coastal region.
The Coastal West Sussex Partnership welcomes the progress made so far on plans for the new A27 route at Arundel, but the Partnership believes further improvements are needed across the whole stretch of the A27 in West Sussex, particularly in Worthing, Lancing and Chichester.
Henry Powell, Chairman of the Coastal West Sussex Partnership, said: "We'd like to encourage National Highways to take a more holistic approach to improving the whole A27, as this would have a much greater and more positive impact on the regional economy.
"We urgently need investment to improve journey times on this road heading east to west along the whole stretch of the A27 from Brighton to Portsmouth, with the removal of choke points and traffic being forced to take unsuitable alternative routes, leading to poor air quality along the road and in towns and villages such as Storrington.
"All A27 improvements should complement transport investment already being made, such as the A284 Lyminster bypass and the A259 corridor improvements at Littlehampton.
"Greater connectivity to and from the West Sussex coast will make the area more attractive to businesses and provide access for a broader recruitment pool, as well as boosting the tourism economy with better access for visitors to the coast and the South Downs National Park."
The A27 Arundel Bypass consultation ends on 8 March. To find out more, visit: https://a27arundelbypass.consultation.ai/
For more information about the Coastal West Sussex Partnership, please visit https://coastalwestsussex.org.uk.
