New Arundel Bypass route for A27 is revealed

The route for the proposed Arundel Bypass has been revealed.
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The plans for the bypass on the A27 were announced this morning (October 15) by Highways England, following a consultation last year.

The new preferred route – the grey option 5BV1, put forward at last year’s further consultation – 'strikes the right balance between creating vital new road capacity and protecting the special environment and cultural heritage in and around Arundel', Highways England said.

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The new preferred route for the A27 Arundel bypass sweeps south of the South Downs national park and includes a new dual carriageway between Crossbush in the East and a new junction near Tye Lane in the west.

Environmental campaigners have been highly critical of the plans for a bypass, and residents of Walberton and Binsted have also opposed the scheme.

Six options were put to the public for views between August and October last year. More than 1,600 people attended the 2019 consultation exhibitions and 5,058 responses were received. Two-thirds (67%) of respondents supported the need to improve the A27 around Arundel, Highways England said.

Today’s announcement 'considers feedback made during the further consultation and further review periods', it claimed.

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In a statement, a spokesman said: "The A27 at Arundel is a regular traffic bottleneck, with 21,000 journeys made each day. The plans unveiled today will not only ease congestion on this busy stretch, which will get worse if nothing is done, but will also make the road safer and reduce the number of collisions.

"The plans include a new five-mile dual carriageway which will draw traffic away from Arundel and reduce rat-running on minor roads through the national park. Highways England have been working hard on the plans, taking into account feedback received from the public and other stakeholders, over the last 12 months. The new bypass will complete a missing link in the A27, the only major east to west route south of the M25, and avoids the South Downs national park completely."

Highways England Chief Executive Jim O’Sullivan said: “The A27 is the only strategic east west route south of the M25. This new road removes the traffic from the centre of Arundel and provides faster more reliable journey times for users of this important road.

“We will continue to work with communities and local groups to further develop the project’s design, so we can deliver a scheme that has as little impact as possible on the special environment and local people in and around Arundel.”

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Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “As a Government, we’re committed to improve transport infrastructure across the country. Today’s announcement is an important one, with another step being taken to delivering benefits in the region through what is now a long-overdue scheme.”

According to Highways England, the bypass will:

Make journeys safer - the A27 at Arundel has an above average collision rate. In the five-year period 1 January 2013-31 December 2017, 81 personal injury collisions, resulting in 121 casualties, were recorded between Crossbush junction to the east and the Fontwell (East) junction to the west.

Reduce congestion – the existing A27 through Arundel is operating at up to 150% capacity, with around 21,000 vehicles using the A27 through on a daily basis, this is predicted to increase to 26,300 by 2041.

Support economic growth – businesses across the region will benefit from efficiencies and improved journey times, while the additional capacity will enable the authorities to better manage population growth.

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