A27 East of Lewes

Creating safer and more reliable journeys between Firle and Polegate.

Start date Spring 2020
End date Spring 2023
Cost £75 million

Latest updates

  • 22 June 2023

    Scheme complete

    We held a special event on Friday 16 June to celebrate the end of our scheme and talk with local people about the improvements we’ve made both on and off the road along the A27.

    Finally, we would like to say thank you to everyone for bearing with us while we were in construction and hope you will enjoy the benefits of our scheme for many years to come.

    For more news and information about our work across the south east, visit our website.

  • 02 April 2023

    We’ve finished!

    Our work along the A27 between Firle and Polegate is now complete.

    The improvements we've made will reduce congestion, connect communities, and create safer journeys for everyone. Our new 13km shared-use path is also open and safe to use.

    Scenes from the A27 East of Lewes

  • 08 August 2022

    New footbridge

    Our new footbridge over the River Cuckmere was installed ahead of schedule. Teams worked through the night to get the bridge in place which arrived in one piece.

    The road between Drusillas Roundabout and Milton Street is now open, however please check updated road closures at the top of this page.

    aerial view of new footbridge

  • 16 June 2022

    New path milestone reached

    We've almost finished half of the new 13km pathway between Firle and Polegate and expect it to be fully open for use by the end of 2022.

    3,025 new trees and 32,000 plants will be added along the route and three new ponds have been created to reduce flood risk and provide new habitats for wildlife.

    We’re working to finish as soon as we can, however the path must remain closed for now to keep all road users and our team safe.

    We’ll let you know as soon as we’re ready to open.

     

Project information

Overview

The A27 to the east of Lewes suffered from congestion due to the narrow carriageway and low capacity at junctions. There were limited overtaking opportunities, meaning that traffic regularly queued behind cyclists and other slow moving vehicles.

In 2020, we embarked on a programme to improve journeys for everyone using this stretch, including walkers, cyclists, and horse-riders.

We’ve made several improvements to reduce congestion, connect communities and create safer journeys for all.

Our improvements will increase capacity, boost sustainability and create accessible routes for all along this stretch of the A27.

We aim to:

  • improve journey times
  • minimise traffic and congestion
  • provide safer roads
  • connect local communities 
  • improve accessibility for users of the South Downs National Park
  • minimise impact on natural environment

We're no longer consulting on this scheme.

Consultation Report and Preferred Route Announcement (2017)

If you're interested in looking back at past consultations and the feedback we received, visit our 2016 consultation page.

Documents

Side Roads Order - Schedule and plans
Side Roads Order - Public Notice

Compulsory Purchase Order – Order and Schedule booklet
Compulsory Purchase Order - Plans
Compulsory Purchase Order - Public Notice

Statement of Reasons
Statement of Reasons - Addendum

Preliminary Design Drawing - Berwick 
Preliminary Design Drawing - Gainsborough Lane 
Preliminary Design Drawing - Polegate Bypass 1
Preliminary Design Drawing - Polegate Bypass 2 
Preliminary Design Drawing - Polegate 

Shared Use Path Side Roads Order Schedule and Plans
Shared Use Path Side Roads Order Public Notice
Shared Use Path Compulsory Purchase Order - Order and Schedule booklet
Shared Use Path Compulsory Purchase Order - Plans
Shared Use Path Compulsory Purchase Order - Commons Replacement Plans
Shared Use Path Compulsory Purchase Order Public Notice
Shared Use Path - Statement of Reasons
General Arrangement – Order Plans Shared Use Path

Polegate and Berwick made order (Compulsory Purchase Order)
Polegate and Berwick made order (Side Roads Order)

General Vesting Declaration (GVD) Unknown owner 1
General Vesting Declaration (GVD) Unknown owner 2
General Vesting Declaration (GVD) Unknown owner 3
General Vesting Declaration (GVD) Unknown owner 4
General Vesting Declaration (GVD) Unknown owner 5

Shared Use Path - MOD 1 
Shared Use Path - MOD 2

Shared Use Path - Statement of Reasons Addendum
Confirmed Order - Shared Use Path - Side Roads Order
Confirmed Order - Shared Use Path - Compulsory Purchase Order

Shared Use Path GVD No.1
Shared Use Path GVD No.2
Shared Use Path GVD No.3
Shared Use Path GVD No.4
Shared Use Path GVD No.5
Shared Use Path GVD No.6
Shared Use Path GVD No.7
Shared Use Path GVD No.8

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