Decision for major bridge replacement deferred

East Sussex County Council says it is considering other options for Exceat Bridge as the original plans cost too much

A decision to build a two-way crossing to replace a single-lane bridge has been deferred as councillors explore more affordable alternatives due to spiralling costs.

On Tuesday, East Sussex County Council's cabinet discussed other options for Exceat Bridge, which spans across the A259 between Seaford and Eastbourne.

One possibility is to build a one-lane replacement bridge with permanent traffic lights and this would cost £9.7m instead, compared to the original plan which costs £21.4m.

Carolyn Lambert, councillor for Seaford South, said the county council should "gather more evidence" regarding the impact of pursuing this alternative, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"There are some important points that need to be considered," she said.

"This includes consultation with emergency services, the impact on local businesses and the impact on tourism."

Officers pointed out if the county council goes forward with this option, this would require the road to be closed for about 22 weeks and delays of up to an hour for motorists during rush hour.

In 2021, the county council received almost £8m from the Levelling Up Fund to fund the proposed scheme to replace Exceat Bridge, which was estimated to cost £10.5m.

A spokesperson for East Sussex County Council said: "The time it has taken to secure planning permission, lengthy land negotiations and the cost of meeting design requirements in a national park, along with increased construction costs and inflation, means the costs have risen by more than £10m and the new bridge is now unaffordable."

The county council has already spent £4.6m on the project.

The third option the local authority is considering is refurbishing the existing bridge by installing permanent traffic lights, at a cost of £2.5m.

Director of communities, economy and transport Rupert Clubb asked councillors to defer the proposals.