New road opening pushed back by another month

Work to complete the Queensway Gateway Road was due to finish this month

The opening of a new road in East Sussex has been pushed back to next month by the county council.

The Queensway Gateway Road, which will connect the A21 Sedlescombe Road North and Queensway in Hastings, was due to open on 31 August.

It was originally scheduled for completion in 2016, but the final section of the road was delayed by an unsuccessful judicial review.

East Sussex County Council (ESCC) has confirmed the road is now expected to open in September because work to relocate the water main took longer than expected.

A spokesperson for ESCC said: "We are very sorry for the delay to the opening of the Queensway Gateway Road, and appreciate the frustration the ongoing works are causing to drivers and the local community.

"We are working as quickly as possible to complete the last phase of what is a major infrastructure project and expect the road to be open to traffic only a few weeks later than originally planned."

Work to relocate the water main has now finished, meaning construction of the new filter lane on to the A21 can be completed and the junction resurfaced.

Overnight closures on the A21 Sedlescombe North will be in place every day from 20:00 to 06:00 BST while work is on-going. Temporary traffic signals will also remain during the day.

The project, which aims to improve traffic flow and transport links between Bexhill and Hastings, has been beset by delays.

Hastings and Rye MP Helena Dollimore told the House of Commons in December that residents referred to the project as the "road to nowhere".

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