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| A27 road | |
| Direction | West- East |
| Start | Whiteparish (near Salisbury, Wiltshire) |
| Primary destinations1 |
Southampton Fareham Portsmouth Chichester Worthing Brighton and Hove Lewes Eastbourne |
|---|---|
| End | Pevensey (near Bexhill, East Sussex) |
| Roads joined |
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Notes
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![]](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Motorway_Right.svg){kind=small}
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.
Between Portsmouth and Lewes, it is one of the busiest trunk roads in the UK.
Contents |
History
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.
A bridge over the level crossing at Beddingham was recently been completed.[when?] The project included the widening the road from a single carriageway, to a single carriageway with an overtaking lane.[citation needed]
Description
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.
East of Portsmouth, 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 [1].
From the junction of the A27 and the A24, the A27 has a brief gap where the road is designated 'A24' before continuing from the 'Grove Lodge' roundabout where the road is named "Upper Brighton Road".
After leaving Worthing the A27 passes through Lancing and crosses the River Adur near Shoreham. It then runs through the Southwick Hill Tunnel, crossing into East Sussex where it passes into a narrow cutting.
Later, it passes Brighton and around the South Downs. This stretch of road often is slow in the morning rush hour. It then passes around Falmer with this section of road having 3 lanes in each direction. It however loses the third lane later. Afterwards it passes south of Lewes where it meets the A26 road to Newhaven.
Here the road becomes a single carriageway standard and until 2008 crossed a level crossing until it was bypassed. The south coast multi model study recommended a dual carriageway but the Highways Agency built it to a cheaper single carriageway standard. Plans are still proposed for upgrading this further. [2].
The road afterwards reverts to a Dual Carriageway with access to the A22 which provides linkes to Eastbourne and Hailsham. The road then once again turns single carriageway near Pevensey where 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.
Landmarks on the route
- Spinnaker Tower
- Chichester Cathedral
- Arundel Castle
- The South Downs
- River Adur
- Lancing College
- University of Sussex (Falmer)
- Lewes Castle
- Mount Caburn
- Firle Beacon
- Long Man of Wilmington
Proposed developments
Bexhill to Hastings link road
The contentious Bexhill to Hastings link road would provide a more direct link from the A27 to the A28 road via the A259 road.
Other proposals
There is a plan to build a new road from Wilmington to Polegate.[citation needed]
There is also a scheme to dual the road between Beddingham and Polegate.[citation needed]
Gallery
 A27 near Beddingham, East Sussex |
 A27 near Pevensey, East Sussex |
 A27 near Brighton and Hove, East Sussex |
 A27 crossing the Adur flyover, near Shoreham, West Sussex |
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: A27 road |
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
References
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