Road scheme on show

The public exhibition on the controversial 16 million project to improve the A27 to a dual carriageway between Southerham and Beddingham roundabouts, east of Lewes, is to be held next Friday and Saturday.

The massive project, intended to improve safety for residents and road and rail users and combat congestion, will widen the existing stretch of road into a dual carriageway and include a bridge over the railway at Beddingham to replace the existing level crossing.

Improvements to the roundabouts at Southerham and Beddingham are also part of the scheme.

Members of the public are invited to attend the exhibition between 3.30pm and 9pm on Friday and 10am to 4pm on Saturday.

Highways Agency's project manager Phil Barnett said: 'We have been in discussions with the Health and Safety Executive's Railway Inspectorate about safety at the level crossing and vehicles colliding with the barriers.'

Short-term measures such as enforcement cameras were being brought in to stop this, but the long-term solution required an alternative to the level-crossing.

'Getting views on the scheme early will help Ministers to decide the way forward.'

The Beddingham level crossing has a poor safety record with frequent barrier strikes and vehicles being driven round the half-barriers. There have been 25 incidents there over the last four years.

Alternative plans for the crossing focus on the provision of full-width barriers which would increase journey times for road users. The barriers would be closed for up to 24 minutes an hour.

Lewes MP Norman Baker said he expected the scheme being unveiled to be a rudimentary and environmentally destructive one, with a dual-carriageway from the Newhaven roundabout rising sharply on a crude embankment over the level-crossing north of the existing road, with a consequent huge impact on views of Mount Caburn.