Sub standard dual carriageway on the A23 in Sussex has finally been improved with opening of a newly widened 4km section of route between Handcross and Warninglid.

The £77M scheme to add a third lane to both the London and Brighton bound carriageways was opened to traffic on Tuesday. The route is used by around 70,000 motorists a day and since 2008 had seen an increasing trend in serious accidents.

Before widening began in early 2012 drivers had to negotiate a series of tight bends, such as at Handcross Hill, with poor forward visibility. Slow traffic also arrived on to the A23 from several local junctions.

The highway alignment is now straighter, the vertical profile altered to smooth the hill and new access roads have been built to allow some of the junctions to close.

Highways Agency chairman Colin Matthews said: “Road users can now enjoy smoother journeys on this vital route; the additional capacity will reduce congestion and the new layout will improve safety.”

Highways Agency project manager Chris Bacon added: “Improving the A23 has been an enormous task and the project team has worked tirelessly to deliver these vital improvements in a way that kept traffic moving throughout."

Now the third lane has opened work to resurface the A23 either side of the improved sections will continue until November using overnight carriageway closures.

Image: Highways Agency

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