Transport for the South East has welcomed firm plans to remove a major bottleneck on the important A27 road route.

The announcement by Highways England of a preferred route for a bypass near Arundel in West Sussex addresses a pinch point on a heavily congested east-west route which runs from Pevensey in East Sussex to Portsmouth in Hampshire, where it joins the M27.

The economic importance of the route to the South East economy, which drives national prosperity, means it has already been identified by TfSE as crucial to include in the Government’s Road Investment Strategy.  The Highways England announcement suggests a detailed solution for just one of the route’s most congested sections.

West Sussex County Council, partners in TfSE, welcomed the announcement provided there is proper mitigation of the scheme’s environmental impact.

TfSE this month published its Economic Connectivity Review of the South East which has identified an improved A27/M27 corridor as one of those crucial to the region’s success in coming decades.