'Relief' as road opens after 'diabolical delays'

The final section of Queensway Gateway Road in Hastings opened on Tuesday

Hastings residents have welcomed the opening of a new road, nine years behind the original schedule.

The final section of Queensway Gateway Road, connecting the A21 Sedlescombe Road North and Queensway, opened on Tuesday.

Local resident Jacqueline Patton said the road took an "epically long while" to complete and it was "a relief" that it had opened.

East Sussex County Council apologised for the disruption but said "with the road open, local people will now be able to enjoy the benefits".

The council warned "a small amount" of overnight work was still required on the road and that the public would be notified of dates as they were confirmed.

It was first due to open in November 2016 but delayed by an ultimately unsuccessful judicial review.

Work finally began in September 2024 but repeated setbacks delayed construction further.

Peter Beard, who lives locally, said: "I'm delighted because it has been a real bugbear for the last few years and I can't understand really why it's taken so long."

Traffic was "diabolical" during the works so "you really had to plan your journeys a bit more carefully", he said.

"It's not easy because everywhere else of course gets clogged up with people doing the same thing," said Mr Beard.

Isobel Dubery said it was "about time" the roadworks were over as "you could be sitting maybe 20 minutes to half an hour to try and get out on to Sedlescombe Road".

"When you did, you couldn't get where you wanted to go," she told the BBC.

"You had to go round by the hospital where you don't need to be and it was a nightmare."

Hastings resident Peter Beard said traffic was "diabolical" during the roadworks

Ms Patton is expecting "teething problems" but said: "Let's hope the teething problems are safe teething problems".

Taxi driver Shorsh Nasar agreed it was good news the roadworks were finished as he lost "every single day, nearly two hours" sat in traffic at the roadworks.

John Bownas, who manages Love Hastings, said the completed project could allow nearby land to be developed for commercial use.

"The hope is that new businesses will come to the town and we'll get a lot more jobs out of it," he said.

"We're a town that's been under siege for 13 months or so and finally the drawbridge seems to have come down."

Local resident Jacqueline Patton said the road took an "epically long while" to complete

The council's director of communities, economy and transport, Rupert Clubb, told BBC Radio Sussex: "I know this has been frustrating and I'm sorry this has taken so long to get to this point."

He said the scheme had been "a complicated project that has come across a series of delays and challenges".