Work progressing well as Lyminster Bypass nears completion, new photos show

Starting off in October last year, the Bypass is intended to alleviate traffic issues in the nearby village of Lyminster by linking to the A284 from a point some 600 metres south of A27 at Crossbush.

It’s West Sussex County Council’s responsibility to deliver the northern end of the scheme, which it is expected to complete at some point early this year.

Once finished, the bypass will be a 7.3 metre wide single dual carriageway, featuring verge on one side and a shared footway/ cycleway facility on the other, which will connect to existing and proposed facilities on the southern half of the bypass and the A259.

The existing public bridleway will be maintained with a Pegasus Crossing, and a new viaduct will be built over Black Ditch and the associated flood plain to ensure there is no increase in flood risk, and the existing culvert will be extended at Brookfield Stream.

"As far as is possible, the scheme will be constructed off-line from the existing road network to minimise disruption to road users during the works,” a spokesperson for West Sussex County Council.

"Locally, the bypass will alleviate traffic congestion through Wick and Lyminster,” they added. “This will improve safety and the reliability of journey times as well as decreasing pollution levels through the village.”

“More strategically, the bypass is linked to the provision of 1,260 new homes and 700 new jobs.

“With the improved cyclist and pedestrian facilities, it is hoped that more people will be encouraged to undertake local trips on foot or by bike."

West Sussex County Council has been contacted for a more recent update, but progress reports published in December suggest teams are making ‘significant progress’ on the project, despite the challenges posed by inclement weather, with the second stage of the culvert installation taking place at the start of the month.

On top of that, a multi-layer waterproofing coating system was successfully applied to the deck of the viaduct, ahead of the application of new tarmac and street lighting was installed along the Bridle Way to Black Ditch.

A spokesperson for West Sussex County Council said: “Significant progress has been made on the Lyminster Bypass project over recent months, despite challenges posed by the winter weather. We are still progressing towards an opening date within early 2025 and anticipate being in a position to provide a more specific date in the coming weeks.”