New list of A27 options for Chichester about to be released

Members of the Build a Better A27 Group, pictured last year, will review the options from next week

A '˜long list' of draft options for improving the A27 is being produced and is expected to be released next week.

Consultant SYSTRA has been appointed by the county council and is working on both long-term and short-term solutions to end years of traffic misery.

It is set to issue a ‘long list’ of improvement options next Monday (March 5), which will include both online and offline options, as well as multimodal options likely to include things like an improved bus network and park and ride, a county council spokesman said.

The various suggestions will be issued to members of the Build a Better A27 (BABA27) group to consult on and narrow down to a smaller list of options at its next meeting on March 15.

Since Transport Secretary Chris Grayling https://www.chichester.co.uk/news/chichester-a27-scheme-cancelled-1-7844631 Chichester’s scheme exactly a year ago, West Sussex County Council has led the BABA27 effort to find a community-led solution.

Council leader Louise Goldsmith said: “We’re delighted with the progress so far and look forward to the options being considered by the consultants.

“The next phase will be challenging but exciting and we are confident that together we will find the right solution for Chichester and the surrounding area.”

At the last BABA27 meeting on February 7, SYSTRA’s south clinical director Dave Carter said he was ‘confident’ they could develop their strategy, according to meeting minutes.

He said they were now moving to ‘high level options’ and would have both long and short-term options’ ready by the March 15 meeting.

Once members of the BABA27 group, made up of councillors, business leaders and senior figures, narrow down the options list, SYSTRA will turn them into fully modelled schemes.

The final option or options will then need approval by both the district and county councils by April before being submitted to Highways England by the June deadline to bid for the next round of £30bn government Road Investment Strategy funds.

More stories about the Chichester scheme below:

https://www.chichester.co.uk/news/transport/chichester-councillors-turn-down-a27-option-2-funding-1-8170751

https://www.chichester.co.uk/news/politics/a27-community-scheme-will-not-rehash-previous-options-1-8274594

https://www.chichester.co.uk/news/major-a27-update-all-seven-route-maps-for-chichester-revealed-here-1-7151417