Burgess Hill A2300 improvement works due to be completed next winter

The project will see around 2.5km of single-lane road widened into a dual carriageway, reducing congestion and cutting journey times.

New facilities will also be provided for pedestrians and cyclists.

The scheme started during lockdown in late April ­– with the Government’s Covid-19 guidance followed throughout – and, so far:

• The earthworks have been started on the new eastbound carriageway

• Work has been carried out on the existing balancing pond (which holds water to prevent the drainage system being overwhelmed by surface run-off water)

• Drainage installation has been started.

The next steps will be to:

• Continue the earthworks and drainage installation on the new eastbound carriageway

• Follow behind with surfacing works and central barrier installation.

The scheme is jointly funded by central government through the Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership local growth deal, developer contributions and West Sussex County Council.

Weekly updates, plus details of future phases as work progresses, will be available online on the A2300 project page.

The target date for the project’s completion is winter 2021.

The county council is the scheme promoter and responsible for delivering the scheme. The contractor is Jackson Civil Engineering, which was recently appointed to build the new link road connecting the Northern Arc development, comprising approximately 3,500 new homes, to the upgraded A2300 dual carriageway.

Homes England has committed £6.5million to the delivery of this piece of key infrastructure, which includes a new roundabout on the A2300.

A message from the Editor, Gary Shipton:

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news, I am asking you to please purchase a copy of our newspapers.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspapers.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

Stay safe, and best wishes.