A259 improvement works: this is when multi-million pound scheme could be completed in Angmering and Littlehampton

Starting in mid-2020, the project aimed to widen 2km of single-carriageway to accommodate an extra lane in both directions.

The scheme intended to bring improvements between the new Fitzalan link road in Littlehampton and the Body Shop roundabout, and between the Station Road junction in Angmering and the A280 roundabout.

The mammoth task, which involved controversially clearing large amounts of vegetation from the roadside, had been scheduled for completion by the autumn of 2022.

“We are pleased to say that this £29.5million improvement scheme, which will reduce congestion and improve journey times on the A259 in Arun, will finish soon and is currently forecast to be early in the new year,” a West Sussex County Council spokesperson said on Tuesday (December 13).

“The design and planning to divert utility companies’ infrastructure was delayed in Autumn 2020 while one of the companies concentrated on providing emergency connection work relating to the Covid-19 pandemic. This meant that a key utility design was not ready to meet our programme dates.

“Our contractor has been working to try to minimise delays to the road scheme as much as possible but we are now forecasting the work will take until early in the New Year.”

The county council said all construction projects – ‘especially ones on this scale’ – can be subject to ‘unforeseen circumstances’.

The spokesperson added: “If the project is completed in January, it will mean the multi-million-pound project will have been completed in 28 months.

“It will bring with it the essential, long-term infrastructure improvements needed to support the housing and commercial development under construction north of Littlehampton, and so dovetails perfectly with one of the key aims of our council plan – to help create a sustainable and prosperous economy.”

Without these works, the long-term benefits from new homes and jobs would be ‘marred by increased congestion’, the council said.

As well as ‘benefits for motorised traffic’, there will be approximately 2km of new pedestrian/cycle route on the south side of the improved road - ‘making active travel choices more attractive’.

The council said: “We would like to thank all road users, residents and local businesses for their patience while these improvement works are ongoing.”