Contract awarded for first phase of £54million A29 project near Eastergate

In an attempt to tackle congestion, the £54.2m project will deliver a 4.34km stretch of new road east of the villages of Eastergate, Westergate and Woodgate.

The work will be carried out in at least two phases, with phase one running from the A29 south of Eastergate Lane to a new junction with Barnham Road.

The decision to award the contract to Jackson Civil Engineering Group, which is part of One Group Construction, was made by Matt Davey, West Sussex County Council’s director of highways, transport and planning.

The company’s bid was described as the ‘most economically advantageous to the county council in terms of value for money’.

His decision will come into effect from January 6 unless called in by councillors for further debate.

The cost of the A29 scheme has been the cause of some concern, having risen from an estimated £35.1m in December 2017 to £54.24m today.

It will be paid for using £12.3m of Local Growth Funding – government money awarded to Local Enterprise Partnerships – £11.4m of county council capital, and £30.5m of predicted developer contributions.

One of those contributions – for £500,000 – will come from a 55-home development at Wings Nursery, in Woodgate.

Karen Dunn , Local Democracy Reporting Service