A27 Arundel bypass
As the main road serving the south coast, the A27 is a crucial route through the south east. However, as it passes through Arundel it operates well over capacity and causes disruption and severe congestion. National Highways is therefore developing options for how the route could be improved.
Latest updates
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12 August 2024
Scheme to end
Following the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s announcement to the House of Parliament on 29 July, that the A27 Arundel Bypass will not be taken forward, we are developing our plans for bringing the project to a close.
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08 June 2023
Deferral - further update
We updated this page back in March to confirm that the bypass scheme had been deferred to the next Roads Investment Period, known as RIS3, which covers 2025 to 2030.
We said then it would take further time to work out the next steps for the project and what the deferral meant in detail.
Whilst we continue to work through much of that detail, we can now confirm we won’t be submitting a Development Consent Order to the Planning Inspectorate this spring, as previously announced.
We can also confirm there will be no further work on the scheme at this time except for removing monitoring equipment that had already been installed.
The preferred route will remain in place whilst we work through what the deferral means for that and other aspects of scheme
We’ll be keeping this page up to date with further details as and when we can confirm them, so please check back here for all further information.
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10 May 2022
Record number of consultation responses as thousands get involved
We received more than 3,500 detailed responses to our public consultation this spring – a record for the Southern region - as thousands of people shared their feedback on our proposals to reduce congestion at Arundel.
Over 1,100 people visited our 19 in-person Statutory Consultation events to find out more about the designs for the Scheme, speak directly to the National Highways team and share their feedback. We also had over 3,850 visitors to our virtual consultation room.
Andrew Jackson, Programme Leader for National Highways, said “I would like to thank all who took the time to respond to our consultation, whether that was at one of our in-person events or online via our website and virtual consultation room. The Arundel bypass will connect communities, boost the local economy and add vital extra resilience to the road network.”
The next steps for the project team involve analysing all the consultation responses and taking your feedback into account as we further develop our designs for the scheme. We expect to submit our planning application to the Planning Inspectorate in 2022 and a full report on the results of this consultation will form part of the planning application – all of which will be available to the public.
Although the consultation is now closed, you can still view the consultation materials and information about the scheme on our consultation website and we'll continue to update this page with further information about the scheme.
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03 November 2021
How will a proposed bypass improve road safety?
The A27 currently has a poor safety record and the accident rate on the single lane stretch at Arundel is higher than the national average for rural A roads. On average, 24 casualties are reported each year between Crossbush junction and the Fontwell (East) junction – and with the population in the area predicted to increase over the coming years this number is very likely to rise. The A27 at Arundel currently operates at 150% capacity – meaning it’s carrying many more vehicles than it was designed to. This also contributes towards the accident rate.
Congestion in and around Arundel results in some drivers seeking less suitable alternative routes, away from the existing A27. This ‘rat running’ also makes accidents more likely to happen, as these small roads in the South Downs National Park were also not designed to accommodate the volume of traffic they’re currently experiencing.
Upgrading the A27 to a dual carriageway will improve safety for the tens of thousands of drivers using it daily and encourage those who currently use small rural roads to remain on the main road instead. A modern design with fewer junctions than the existing A27 will mean journeys are faster and more reliable. Dual carriageway roads are also more resilient when accidents do occur, helping to reduce the number of times traffic reaches a total standstill.
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05 October 2021
How will this proposed bypass boost the local economy?
Currently the A27 through Arundel operates at over 150% capacity, which causes severe congestion and long, unpredictable journey times. This makes it difficult for people who live nearby to commute for work and many local businesses struggle to recruit the staff they need as a result.
It's predicted that the A27 Arundel bypass scheme will help create new jobs in the area and will lead to productivity improvements for existing businesses. Average travel times will be significantly improved, not only on the A27 itself but in the surrounding area too.
It's not just local people who will benefit from the bypass, though. Currently, two-thirds (67%) of the traffic that uses the A27 between Crossbush roundabout and Causeway roundabout is through-traffic. Local businesses tell us the long queues make Arundel a less attractive destination for their customers and clients, with many visitors’ first experience of the town being a frustrating one. After the construction of the proposed bypass, the full length of the existing A27 through Arundel will be retained, allowing visitors easy access to the town while through-traffic is able to travel along the bypass.
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15 October 2020
Our preferred route
We’ve chosen Grey (Option 5BV1) as our preferred route for the A27 Arundel bypass.
* Woodland north of A27 includes Dalesdown Wood, Danes Wood, Goblestubb's Copse, Madehurst Wood, Rewell Wood, Rough Copse, Screens Wood, Sherwood Rough, The Rough, The Waterwoods, West Stubbs Copse.
** Woodland south of A27 includes Ash Piece, Barn's Copse, Binstead Park, Binsted Wood, Brickklin Copse, Brickklin Piece, Fowler's Copse, Furzefield Copse, Hundredhouse Copse, Lake Copse, Little Dane's Wood, Paine's Wood, Pedler's Croft, Pinewoods, Singer's Piece, Spinningwheel Copse, Steward's Copse, The Shaw, Tortington Common, Wincher's Copse, Threecomer Wood.
Considerations
We have weighed up a range of considerations to identify our new preferred route.
These have included:
- How well the proposed designs would meet the scheme objectives
- Potential impacts on local communities and the environment around Arundel
- The extent to which the proposals would comply with planning policy
- Feedback received during our public consultation process
- The cost of delivering the scheme and the value-for-money that would be achieved by doing so
While there are no easy answers to the challenges of improving the A27 around Arundel, the results of our extensive assessment work have clearly identified Grey as the best long-term solution.
You’ll find more details about the proposed route in our Preferred Route Announcement brochure and in the Documents section below.
What happens next?
Now we have announced our preferred route, we will carry out extensive surveys and investigations to help us design the scheme in more detail.
These investigations will inform a landscape level assessment and support the development of mitigation measures to ensure the proposal is as sensitive to the environment and existing landscape as possible. As part of this process your views will be sought on the preliminary design and on the results of those further environmental assessments that we will have undertaken before we submit our application for a Development Consent Order.
This means you will have a further opportunity to shape the scheme as the detailed design develops.
We will work with key stakeholders, including local authorities and statutory environmental bodies over the coming months to ensure this consultation is suited to local needs, and we will publicise the details of the consultation and how you can take part, in due course.
Project information
By making changes to the A27 at Arundel we’re aiming to:
- Improve safety
- Increase the capacity of the road
- Reduce congestion and travel time
- Have as little impact as possible on the environment
- Protect and enhance the quality of the surrounding environment through high quality design
- Respect the South Downs National Park and its special qualities in our decision-making
We need this scheme because the A27 through Arundel causes a daily build up of traffic that costs commuters, businesses, communities and visitors valuable time and money. In fact, the congestions costs businesses millions of pounds a year. The road also cuts off communities and makes every day trips longer and more difficult.
Supplementary consultation - 16 November to 16 December 2022
Statutory consultation - 11 January to 8 March 2022
A27 Arundel Bypass Preferred Route Announcement - October 2020
Further review period - 3 February to 1 March 2020
Further options consultation - 30 August to 24 October 2019
Options consultation - July to October 2017
Our surveying teams are working to gather as much information as possible about the site of the proposed A27 Arundel bypass. With landowners’ permission, and working with the relevant local authorities and licensing bodies, our teams will be out and about on site carrying out surveys. You might notice them conducting this vital work, so we’re taking a closer look below to explain what data is being gathered and why it’s so important for our design team.
Archaeological trial trenching
We’re about to begin archaeological investigations, which means we’ll be looking for - and recording - any archaeological findings. You may see some of our archaeology team starting the surveys in September and continuing over the coming months. Whether it’s prehistoric animal bones, stone-age hand tools, medieval farm equipment or Victorian military remains, we’ll carefully record everything we find and produce a report for the public record.
We are working with the archaeology team at West Sussex County Council to plan this work. The results of these surveys will provide our road design team with valuable evidence about the archaeology of the site, allowing us to make sure we’re minimising the impact of the road design on any historical remains we find. We expect most of this archaeology work to take place on weekdays.
Tree surveys
Our Arboricultural team of tree specialists look at the areas on site where existing trees might be affected during the construction of the proposed road. They visit the site and examine the trees, recording information about their location, size, condition, quality and species. Our tree specialists work in small teams and their surveys are not invasive. The tree survey data will be used to inform the design team about trees on site, including their required canopy and root protection zones. Although the proposed route of the road does not pass through any ancient woodland at all, there are still many significant trees on the site and the Arboricultural survey will help us to understand how we can design the road to have the smallest possible impact on existing trees in the area and also where would be the best areas to plant new trees.
Water surveys
Our water survey team are working to gather as much information as possible about surface water conditions at the site of the proposed road – like the condition of rivers and streams, and information about flood plains. This ‘baseline data’ will be gathered by small teams of water surveyors over the coming weeks. You might notice people with bottles gathering water samples from specific points in the streams and rivers on site. This is to make sure we understand as much as possible about the current water quality so that our design team can put in place the best type of drainage measures to protect it as they develop plans for the road. You might also see people using a hand-held ‘flow meter’ – a device that tells us how fast the water is moving along a water course. All these observations are repeated at different times of year to make sure seasonal changes are taken into account.
Ecological surveys
Our ecology team work around the clock to gather information about the ecology of the site. This includes information about the wildlife habitats as well as individual species, and they’ll be looking on land, in the watercourses, and up in the air! Ecologists will be on site most weeks, looking for different things depending on the season and the weather conditions. Surveys are ongoing to look for evidence of animals like bats, great crested newts, otters and water voles – protected species that, if discovered, will be carefully considered as we continue designing the road. This might mean for example avoiding valuable habitat where possible, creating new habitats and planning for the careful relocation of animals.
Due to the nature of the work, our ecology teams might be on site at all times of the day and night. Bat surveying, for example, needs to happen at dusk and into the evening to observe bats entering and leaving their roosts.
The information gathered by the ecologists is vital for the design team, enabling them to make informed decisions about areas of valuable habitat on site and also letting them know where extra habitat might need to be created. You can find out more about the work of the ecology team by watching our video from earlier in the project.
Documents
Technical reports
Freedom of information request: A27 Arundel bypass proposals
A27 Arundel Improvement Stakeholder meeting July 2015
A27 Arundel Improvement Stakeholder meeting May 2016
Traffic Data Collection Report
A27 Arundel Bypass update letter to residents
Spotlight on Connecting West Sussex
Connecting West Sussex: The business opportunity of a better A27 at Arundel
Related Road projects
Traffic information
Information about scheduled roadworks and events on our motorways and major roads.X
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