East Sussex drivers to face less congestion thanks to new £75 million pedestrian path

The 16km path for walkers, cyclists and horse riders will run along the side of the A27. National Highways say the path will help to reduce congestion, connect communities, and create safer journeys for everyone.

According to The Highways – pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders were not fully catered for with insufficient crossing points and poor east-west connections.

The path is the second part of The Highways’ scheme to create accessible routes for all along this stretch of the A27.

The major road suffers from congestion due to the narrow carriageway and low capacity at junctions to the east of Lewes.

The lack of overtaking opportunities means that traffic regularly queues behind cyclists and other slow moving vehicles.

Drivers using this stretch of road suffer from below average journey times, with congestion and collisions a regular cause of long delays.

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The first part of the scheme started in 2020, when improvements were made to the the junctions at Polegate, Wilmington and Drusilla's roundabout.

Lanes were added to the traffic lights at Polegate, as well as at Gainsborough Lane and between the lane at Polegate and the Cophall roundabout.

A Pegasus crossing was also installed on the A27 at Wilmington and Drusillas.

Along with the new combined cycle and footpath, the scheme includes a host of other environmental benefits – including a total of 3,025 new trees and 32,000 plants planted along the route to create new hedgerows for local dormice and many other protected species to live in.