Release date: 22 December 2023
Works needed to re-open West Chiltington Road at Panners Drive are so significant that they will not start until Tuesday, 2 January.
The road was closed following the collapse of a culvert that runs under the carriageway, causing significant damage to the road surface and flooding.
A West Sussex County Council spokesperson said: “Following a full assessment of the damage and the work needed to repair the culvert and road, we regret that they cannot be completed before Christmas.
“The repair works require a full excavation of the affected areas and reconstruction and the use of concrete to strengthen the culvert. We will then need to reconstruct around 100square metres of carriageway. Due to the amount of work needed, it is not possible to do this prior to Christmas.
“This is unavoidable and we ask for people’s understanding and patience as we understand the inconvenience the road closure will cause. Please also note that, while the work is scheduled to start on 2 January, this is subject to unforeseen factors, such as severe weather. Our contractor will need to ensure there is no ingress of water into the work areas during construction. If we have high volumes of rain over the coming days, this may delay the works required.”
We urge those undertaking journeys in the area to plan additional time for their trips. There is no access between Pulborough and West Chiltington via West Chiltington Road and we urge drivers to refrain from moving the barriers and attempting to travel down this stretch of road.
Diversion route signage has been put up at strategic points. The route is:
- Harborough Hill to The Common to Mill Road (North)
- The Hollow to Broadford Bridge Road to Adversane Lane (West)
- Stane St A29 (South) to Lower Street A283 (East)
- Mare Hill Road to West Chiltington Road.
