County Council Hires Fresh Contractors to Complete Link Road
HUGH SULLIVAN
The Queensway Gateway link road is set to be completed by fresh contractors. It was originally to have been opened for traffic in 2016 but an unfinished section has been stalled for eight years by wranglings over land ownership, junction designs and funding.
The building of the road has been a project partnership between East Sussex County Council (ESCC) and regeneration company Sea Change Sussex, intended to make a direct connection between Queensway and the A21 to reduce traffic congestion on the Ridge and improve other local traffic flows. Last December Sea Change put forward a revised design for the final stage of the works, including making safety and infrastructure improvements at the eastern end of Whitworth Road and installing traffic lights where Junction Road joins the A21. They suggested, at that point, that a sum of up to £3 million would be needed to cover the cost, and that the works should take around ten weeks to be implemented.
In March, a grant of £2.5 million was secured by ESCC from the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) to fund the completion works. The money was allocated from levelling up funds offered to Hastings Borough and Rother District Councils (see the report in HIP 249: Levelling Up Funds Raided to Complete Link Road).
However, a press release from Sea Change has now revealed that ESCC intends to use its own highways contractor to undertake these outstanding works; the company’s contractors have been asked to remove their equipment and materials from the site to make space for the incoming team.
And, although Sea Change is willing to license their design for the project to save any additional cost and time of redesigning from scratch, a spokesperson for the company says East Sussex County Council has declined this offer and has indicated that “it won’t be using Sea Change’s intellectual property”, which presumably means working up a fresh design.
When approached for a comment by HIP, an ESCC spokesperson said the County Council was “committed” to the completion of the Queensway Gateway link road and would be working with its highways contractor, Balfour Beatty Living Places, “to deliver the final phase of the project.”
It’s anticipated that the costs of completing the scheme will come within the DLUHC funding allocation, though any costs over and above will be funded by ESCC.
No indication has been given by ESCC as to when the works will start nor how long they will take to complete. A council spokesperson said that a “delivery programme has been developed for the completion of the project and we will be working to keep local businesses and residents informed as the work progresses.”
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