St Leonards: Work to complete delayed Queensway Gateway Road project to start - this is when

East Sussex County Council and its contractor Balfour Beatty Living Places has announced it will be delivering the final phase of the Queensway Gateway project.

The final section of the road will link it with the A21 Sedlescombe Road North via Whitworth Road, which the county council said will improve connectivity between Bexhill and Hastings and improve traffic flow in the area.

The work, which begins on Monday, September 2 and is expected to be completed by the end of the year, will see the permanent closure of Junction Road and the creation of a public right of way and cycle path.

The county council said the work will see major improvements to the A21 Sedlescombe Road North, with the installation of new traffic signals.

The road was originally slated for completion in November 2016, but has been beset by a series of delays at various stages. The only stretch of the road which has yet to be completed is its final connection to the A21.

Councillor Keith Glazier, leader of East Sussex County Council, said: “The Queensway Gateway Road is an extremely important project which will make a huge difference to the area – improving traffic flow and transport links between Bexhill and Hastings and unlocking the development potential of more business space for employment.

“The county council is committed to the completion of the long-awaited road, and I am pleased that we have been able to act so quickly to get a delivery programme agreed.

“A project of this scale is inevitably going to cause disruption, but our contractor is working on ways to minimise this including overnight works and the use of noise reduction methods where possible. We apologise for the inconvenience this work will cause but ask the public to bear with us as the project will bring significant benefits to the area.”

From Monday, September 2 to Thursday, September 5, the A21 Sedlescombe Road North will be closed from the entrance to Dunelm and the junction of the A28 Westfield Lane, between 8pm and 6am. This section of road will be closed again from Monday, November 18 to Tuesday, December 31. Diversion routes will be in place for both closures.

From Tuesday, September 3 to Sunday, September 29, temporary traffic lights will be in place at the junction of Junction Road and the A21 Sedlescombe Road North 24 hours a day.

During the work, Maplehurst Road will be accessible for residents and emergency vehicles only. Letters will be sent to residents affected by the work.

From the start of construction, access to the A21 via Junction Road from the Ridge will be unavailable.

Hastings and Rye MP, Helena Dollimore said: “I’m glad work has begun after years of delay. After being elected as MP I raised it with the new Government as a priority.

“The people of Hastings and Rye have been blighted by long tailbacks and traffic queues. Let’s hope this work gets done as quickly as possible so people can get where they need to go on time. I would like to thank the highways staff who will be doing night shifts to get it finished.”