Relief for motorists as major West Sussex road reopens after ten-day closure

A280 Long Furlong in Clapham had been closed since Monday, April 13 – but reopened on Wednesday, April 22, as scheduled.

The closure supported CityFibre’s work to deliver full fibre broadband, to ‘hard-to-reach homes and businesses’. This was as part of the UK Government’s Project Gigabit programme.

The latest statement from the telecommunications network provider reads: “We are pleased to confirm that Long Furlong will be reopened on schedule from around 5pm this [Wednesday] evening.

"We thank residents for their patience during this period. We are proud to have brought faster, more reliable broadband to West Sussex that will no doubt benefit the community for years to come.”

CityFibre trialled BUKO Digital’s traffic management system to ‘help divert drivers through appropriate routes’, reaching around 100,000 users. This was in addition to signage along roads, the company said.

It added that CityFibre workers ‘volunteered to clear road debris and litter’, and also cleaned roads and footpaths in the area – ‘leaving the road tidy and clear for road users’.

The closure lasted the scheduled ten days. The road closure permit was until midnight.

In response to a Worthing Herald Facebook post, reader Sarah Mills reported at 8.45am – on day one of the closure: “It is chaos out there. Good luck getting to school and work on time.

“Come on – this should have been better planned to coincide with school holidays or signposting for alternative routes to take the strain off of the A27.”

Here are some of the other comments, left by Herald readers:

– Simon Spencer-Briggs: “Any chance potholes will get fixed at the same time?”

– Christine Augustus: “What right have they got to close a very busy road? It’s not being closed for the benefit of the road users, just the internet. A condition of it being closed should be that the whole road should be resurfaced at their expense.”

– Jim Grenney: “Sat nav will probably send most of the traffic through Storrington high street as normal.”

– Lyn Baker: “Why not do this over the school holidays? Going to be a nightmare with kids going back to school on Monday!”

– Julie Northeast: “Resurface it at the same time.”

– Mike Graves: “An opportunity for cyclists & walkers to explore a different route via Patching to North Angmering.”

– Paul Darbyshire: “Can’t they do the work at night. This is a major road for people commuting from the coast, northwards. It is going to cause major issues as its used by thousands of motorists. Not good at all.”

– Mark Brocklehurst: “It’s going to cause utter carnage. Why they couldn’t do it during the half term break when the impact would’ve been somewhat mitigated is beyond me!”

– Roz Nowak: “Silly time to do it! School run is going to be manic. Traffic will be up Bost Hill, High Salvington, around Findon – when Findon Roundabout is already manic enough! Half term would have been ideal time to do it.”

Meanwhile, Lime Tree Surgery issued an advisory notice to patients, on Facebook.

A Facebook post read: “While the road is closed, we expect there will be an increase in traffic using the Findon road/A24 and this may impact the time that it takes to travel to our Findon practice especially in the morning and late afternoon.

“If you have an appointment at our Findon practice between 13th-22nd April, we recommend allowing extra travelling time to ensure that you can reach us in time.

“Although this work is outside of Lime Tree Surgery’s control we thank you for your patience and understanding.”

Council explains why road was not closed over Easter

CityFibre said that timings for the works were agreed with West Sussex County Council.

In response to the concerns raised by locals, the county council issued a statement.

A spokesperson said: “We understand that road closures can be inconvenient for residents, and we always work to minimise disruption wherever possible.

“Closing Long Furlong during the Easter school holidays for CityFibre’s works was considered but it was decided that this would have too big an impact on the two bank holiday days when many people are travelling.”

As of midday on Wednesday (April 15), works were ‘currently progressing as planned and to schedule’.

What were the benefits of the road closing?

The new traffic management system from BUKO Digital and will enable smart ‘real time’ diversions across SatNavs, Google Maps and ‘reduce congestion on adjacent routes’.

Ahead of the work starting, Adrian Smith, partnership manager for CityFibre, said: “We’re excited to be trialling this impressive technology to benefit road users around the Worthing area.

"Improved communications with drivers will help us to deliver these essential works quickly and safely whilst also ensuring that drivers and residents are impacted as little as possible. It’s a win-win.”

Access was maintained for residents and businesses within the closure area, but all through-traffic were told to follow the signed diversion routes.

The closure stretched between the Patching and Findon roundabouts.

A spokesperson for West Sussex County Council said: “Long Furlong is a road heavily used by many drivers in Worthing, so we understand the importance of clear communication and efficient works.

"The trial with BUKO Digital should help improve the experience for those affected during the works.”

Motorists were advised to plan ahead and consider alternative routes to avoid delays while the works are carried out.