The A27 is a major road in England. It runs from its junction with the A36 at Whiteparish (near Salisbury) in the county of Wiltshire. Heading east it closely parallels the south coast where it passes through West Sussex and terminates at Pevensey (near Eastbourne and Bexhill) in East Sussex. It has been voted as one of the busiest trunk roads in the UK.

The route

The road starts at its junction with the A36 at Whiteparish. It runs through Romsey, Swaythling, West End and Bursledon. It then closely parallels the south coast and travels on via Fareham, Cosham, Havant, Chichester, Arundel, Worthing, Shoreham-by-Sea, Brighton, Hove, Falmer, Lewes and Polegate where it then terminates at Pevensey in East Sussex.

A section of the A27, running from the eastern end of the M27 to the end of the road at Pevensey forms part of the long-distance South Coast Trunk Road. Much of the road has been improved to dual carriageway standard, with the westernmost section of the trunk portion even having as much as four lanes plus a hard shoulder in each direction, and on a motorway alignment with grade-separated junctions. This is perhaps a reflection that the M27 was once proposed to run as far as Chichester.

Between Chichester and Lewes, there are frequent roundabouts disrupting the mainline of the road, although the road largely retains a two-lane dual-carriageway standard. There are, however a couple of sections of single-carriageway; at Arundel, where a proposed bypass scheme was dropped in 2003, and at Worthing, where the possibility of a bypass has often been discussed since 1967, even getting as far as passing the inspector's report at a public inquiry, but was dropped in 1996 following rising costs. These are both areas of known traffic congestion during times of peak usage.

After leaving Worthing the A27 passes through Lancing and crosses the River Adur near Shoreham. It then runs through the Southwick Hill Tunnel and follows a path bypassing the rear of Brighton where it meets the A23.

East of Lewes the A27 meets the A26. From this point the road is largely single-carriageway apart from a 2.7 km bypass for Polegate which opened in 2002. A high accident risk site and cause of traffic congestion is the Beddingham Level Crossing, just east of Lewes. The South Coast Multi-Modal Study proposed a dual-carriageway bypass, but the Highways Agency has opted for a cheaper single-carriageway. Subject to the results of a public inquiry, construction started mid-2006.

At Pevensey, the road ends, and the South Coast Trunk Road transfers over to the A259, this coast road starts in Emsworth and shadows the route of the A27.

Current Improvements

Southerham-Beddingham

Currently under construction is a Bridge over the Level Crossing at Beddingham. The project also includes widening the road to a single carriageway with an overtaking lane rather than a dual carriageway which has been critisised.

Proposed improvements

Through West and East Sussex the road is interrupted by roundabouts and excessively long sections of Single Carriageway causing congestion and accidents. There is a plan to build a new link road from Wilmington to Polegate, It is also proposed to dual the section between Beddingham and Polegate to reduce head-on crashes with lorries.

Abandoned schemes

Arundel and Worthing bypasses

A proposed scheme to bypass Arundel was dropped in 2003 although the junction at the end of the Dual Carriageway has been partly made into an underpass. At Worthing, where the possibility of a bypass has often been discussed since 1967, even getting as far as passing the inspector's report at a public inquiry, the plan was dropped in 1996 following rising costs. These are both areas of known traffic congestion during times of peak usage.

Landmarks on the route

• Spinnaker Tower
• Chichester Cathedral
• Arundel Castle
• The South Downs
• River Adur
• Lancing College
• Sussex University
• Lewes Castle
• Mount Caburn
• Firle Beacon
• Long Man of Wilmington

Gallery

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Image:A27roadbr.jpg|The A27 near Falmer, East Sussex. Image:A27 Chichesterrun.jpeg|A27 road near Arundel. Image:A27 img1.jpg|At Emsworth. Image:Farlington bypass 7.jpeg|A27 road Eastbound Between Farlington and Havant. Image:Polegate Bypass.JPG|A27 near Polegate, East Sussex Image:A27 road near Beddingham.jpg|A27 near Beddingham, East Sussex Image:A27 road at Pevensey, East Sussex.jpg|A27 near Pevensey, East Sussex Image:137048237 5eb78b6741.jpg|A27 near Brighton and Hove, East Sussex

</gallery>

External links

• Society for All British Road Enthusiasts Route Description - A27
• TAB-MSAS: Roads Photos: A27
• BBC News article on new subway at Falmer
• BBC News article on speed trap at Falmer

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