Question markstill hangs overroad opening

East Sussex County Council is remaining tight-lipped about a potential opening date after a Bexhill man approached the Observer to say that contractors had been telling residents that the project was looking to open in December this year.

The multi-million pound road was due to open in May this year.

But poor weather and unexpected archaeological finds have hampered progress on the project.

An East Sussex County Council spokesperson told the Observer: “The new link road is a major project and will bring 2,000 new homes, 3,000 new jobs and more than £1 billion of economic benefits to the area.

“In September last year we opened a 0.6 mile section of the new route earlier than planned, in the summer the construction of Woodsgate Park Overbridge was completed and we are on track to complete the construction of the new Ninfield Road bridge – all key milestones in the construction of the road.

“As with any road scheme of this size, the opening date is subject to a range of factors, such as exceptional weather.

“Heavy rainfall and additional archaeological investigation has caused some delays, but as the weather improves and earthworks restart we will soon have a better indication of the opening date.

“When a date is confirmed, we will communicate this to residents.”

The project has come under fire from protestors who say is running behind time and over budget.

A ‘gateway’ from the A21 has yet to be built.