Residents have one more day to have their say on a proposed £280 million road scheme designed to speed up journeys on Sussex’ busiest road by less than six minutes.
The public consultation of five options for new roads, flyovers and pedestrian crossings built around the A27 at Chichester closes tomorrow.
Transport secretary Chris Grayling could still give the go ahead to the multi-million pound Chichester Bypass even if all options are rejected by local residents and businesses.
Highways England has confirmed that public votes in the consultation will only go towards informing Mr Grayling’s final selection expected early next year.
West Sussex County Council’s environmental and community services select committee refused to back any of the proposals last week and called for a more extensive northern bypass to be considered.
The five options include new traffic lights, pedestrian and cycle crossings, road widening, slip roads and flyovers with build times ranging between 15 months and almost three-and-a-half years.
The majority of options are considered to have a significant adverse effect on historic buildings, the surrounding landscape and nature while all are expected to have no significant beneficial effects for air quality.
The project has already been whittled down from more than 20 original options while an original consultation with six options planned for March was postponed.
Once the new transport secretary makes his selection, the preferred route will go to public consultation in greater detail later next year with work potentially beginning in 2019.
Chichester could be the first of several expansion schemes planned for the A27 with road expansions at Arundel, Worthing and Lewes at the early stages of public discussion.
Green MEP Keith Taylor said: “The current proposals to ‘upgrade’ the A27 are an example of the government’s short-sighted and unsustainable approach to transport planning.
“The hundreds of millions of pounds committed to this project would be far better spent investing in sustainable public transport options, directed by local communities, to reduce traffic, rather than needlessly ‘upgrading’ the A27 to accommodate more.”
A meeting is due to be held today to discuss transport infrastructure in Brighton and Hove.
Representatives from the bus company, train operators and the council will discuss planned investment and development in Brighton and Hove.
FURTHER WORKS COULD BRING MAJOR BENEFITS AND JOBS
THE A27 around Chichester may not be the only stretch to see some diggers in the coming years if campaigners, motorists, MPs and businesses get their way.
The proposed multi- million road scheme around the West Sussex city could be followed by work to expand the county’s main east-west highway at Arundel, Worthing and Lewes.
The financial benefits could be huge for the county with a Department for Transport-commissioned report last year finding an A27 expansion at Worthing and Arundel could bring combined economic benefits of at least £850 million and create up to 35,000 additional jobs.
The Government has called for greater capacity along the route, almost 40 per cent of which is single carriageway, with more than 60,000 new homes expected around the A27 in the next 15 years.
But opposition to the road expansion in the county is also strong with many unconvinced that more tarmac will just mean more cars, more traffic and air pollution.
Discussions were held this spring over plans to reduce congestion around Worthing.
The most expansive option on the table could be a dual carriageway which campaigners claim will require the compulsory purchase of up to 300 homes.
Highways England are now working on options for public consultation next year.
On a similar timeframe is proposed work to ease traffic around Arundel with opponents of a potential bypass concerned about the impact of a new road on surrounding villages such as Binsted.
Lewes MP Maria Caulfield, chairwoman of the A27 Reference Group, is calling for the road to be expanded between Polegate and Lewes.
Source: http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/14755181.__280m_scheme_to_shave_six_minutes_on_an_A27_journey/
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