Exceat Bridge replacement and improvements to the A259 corridor, Seaford

This project will address a long standing and well known bottleneck within the East Sussex road network and will contribute towards economic growth within the area. The project will replace the deteriorating Exceat Road Bridge over the Cuckmere river and will unlock the full capacity of the network to support employment and housing growth. Exceat bridge is part of the A259, one of the principal road networks in East Sussex which serves two of the County’s growth areas for housing and employment: Newhaven and Eastbourne/South Wealden. The A259 is a critical route for economic connectivity from the east of the county, along the East Sussex coast to Brighton and through to West Sussex, including linkage to a key port at Newhaven. The Exceat Bridge is coming to the end of its life and has a number of structural defects and layout issues. Following an options appraisal it has been determined that it would be most beneficial to replace the existing bridge with a new one designed to address these issues and meet the needs of its users. As part of this project there is an identified need to allow for pedestrian and cyclist access from the Exceat Bridge to the Seven Sisters Country Park visitor centre and installation of a signalised crossing. This section of the A259 forms part of the National Cycle Network Route 2 and the England Coastal Path so improving access for pedestrian and cyclists will enhance these routes and encourage greater use. The project will address current constraints including:

• major congestion due to constrained traffic flow/capacity issues, the impact of which is long queues of traffic in both directions from the bridge;
• poor access for pedestrians and cyclists;
• increasing pollution and health inequalities; and
• long-term network resilience.

Funding approval

The project was considered by the Accountability Board on 3rd July 2020 and the decision was made to approve the award of LGF funding to the project, subject to the following funding conditions being met:

• receipt of written confirmation from the East Sussex County Council S151 officer that all funding has been secured to enable delivery of the project;
• the Strategic Board reaffirming support for the LGF spend forecast beyond the end of the Growth Deal period; and
• the final third of the 2020/21 LGF allocation being transferred by the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government or the Strategic Board prioritising the project for funding, should only part of the final third of LGF be confirmed by Government.

An update on the project was provided to the Accountability Board on 18th September 2020 which indicated that the anticipated local match funding had not been secured, resulting in a funding gap. No alternative funding sources had been identified to allow the project to progress and therefore it was agreed that the project should be removed from the LGF programme and that the LGF allocation should be reallocated to a project on the LGF project pipeline.

£579m of investment to East Sussex, Essex, Kent, Medway, Southend and Thurrock

In total the SELEP Growth Deal with Government has brought £579m of investment to East Sussex, Essex, Kent, Medway, Southend and Thurrock. Over the lifetime of the Growth Deal (2015-2021) we aim to deliver 78,000 jobs and 29,000 homes across the SELEP area, with the Deal set to attract a further £960m of investment into the South East over the six year period. Find out more here