'We’re doing everything we can' - Long delays reported as A259 closure continues
Brighton’s cabinet member for transport said the council is doing ‘everything we can’ as the closure of the A259 continues to cause major disruption.
Brighton City Council said part of A259 King's Road – near the Royal Albion Hotel to the west of Brighton Palace Pier – had to be temporarily closed with ‘immediate effect due to a safety risk’ on Saturday (February 22).
"Following the Royal Albion fire in summer 2023, part of the fire damaged section of the building still remains standing,” a city council statement, on Friday evening (February 21) read.
”The council has received a report from a structural engineer working for the contractor on site that states that the structure and attached scaffolding is at risk of ‘catastrophic failure’."
The seafront road remained closed on Tuesday (February 25) and it has been reported that traders in Brighton have been affected.
In a statement on Monday, councillor Trevor Muten, Cabinet member for Transport, Parking and Public Realm said: “The A259 King’s Road remains closed between Aquarium roundabout and East Street in both directions to traffic and will be so for at least the next couple of days. The pavement and cycle lanes to the south of the road remain open.
“Our priority remains the safety of the public, but we recognise and apologise for the inconvenience and delays the closure is causing. We thank people for their continued patience.
“We’re doing everything we can to support Britannia Hotels and their contractor to get this work done quickly so we can reopen the road as soon as possible. We have also asked them to add additional signage to reduce traffic leading up to the road closure.
“We continue to stress to Britannia Hotels the urgency of the situation.
“The council is speaking regularly with organisers of the Brighton Half Marathon to keep them updated.”
The latest AA Traffic News report shows ‘long delays’ in the area.
A traffic notice read: “Road closed and long delays due to unsafe building at the Royal Albion hotel on A259 Grand Junction Road both ways between A23 (Palace Pier roundabout) and Queens Hotel. Congestion to roads around Brighton are struggling.”