As part of RIS1 in 2015, it is was proposed that around £100 million would be spent on improving the A27 through Worthing & Lancing, which would see some junctions enlarging to increase throughput, but leaving the single carriageway sections as it would be too costly to widen the road, and delivering a bypass would vastly exceed the budget as it would involve tunnelling. The previous plans were highly contested as they would have excessive land take for a potentially short-lived improvement.
Since about 2020 National Highways have been reassessing the situation at Worthing & Lancing, where in late 2022 they announced that they will be looking at a proper bypasses of Worthing & Lancing, likely using tunnel(s), but this wouldn’t be possible to deliver within the next 20 years, so they would carry out a few changes to the pinch points along the existing route to minimise congestion and increase capacity in the interim periods.
There are 5 separate parts of the route which could see attention, with only 1 option existing for each of the parts.
Offington Corner Roundabout
Offington Corner would see the whole roundabout signalised. It would also include traffic signals on all of the exit arms of the roundabout to provide for traffic signal controlled crossings across all arms of the roundabout. It is a strange design choice as it would be much easier to optimise a traffic signal controlled crossroads instead, as the 2017 proposals show. In addition the residential road “Goodwood Road” would have its access to the roundabout closed
Grove Lodge Roundabout
Grove Lodge Roundabout would see two of the roundabout’s sides to be widened to 4 lanes, from 3 lanes. Additional controlled crossings would be added across the South side’s A24 arm, this is very similar the the previous proposals, but the the additional crossing.
Lyons Road / Sompting Road Junctions
It is proposed to add an additional through lane in each direction around the existing junctions with Lyons Road & Sompting Road. There would also be minor pedestrian benefits such as removal of uncontrolled crossings replaced with traffic signal controlled crossings.
Upper Brighton Road
Another part of the proposals is to make Brighton Road, which is the original A27, into a one-way road with a cycle contraflow lane. Brighton Road is a narrow lane, with a nominal width of less than 5 meters, by making it one-way Eastbound it would lessen the amount of traffic rat running & provide a safer route for cyclists between Worthing & Lancing, as this is the primary route between the two towns whilst being inland.
NMU route
Each of the junction proposals includes pedestrian & cycle improvements by including additional Toucan & Puffin Crossings, however in addition to the localised improvements it is suggested under this scheme that a “segregated” pedestrian and cycle path could be provided between Durrington Hill Junction & Grove Lodge Roundabout, where it would connect onto an existing sub-par cycle path. This path is proposed to be 4m wide, with a 2.5m cycle section & 1.5m pedestrian section segregated by a painted line, although would narrow to 3m at constraints.
The consultation is open till the 19th March, and the consultation can be found here.
