Extra £1.5m to raise safety rating of dangerous A285

The notoriously dangerous A285 from Chichester to Petworth is set for £2.1million worth of improvements to make it safer.
By The Newsroom
Published 8th Dec 2017, 12:50 BST
Updated 8th Dec 2017, 12:55 BST
RED MONDEO - POSSIBLY CRASHED LAST NIGHT - ARUNDEL RPU SEEKING WITNESSES TO THE CRASH - DRIVING NORTHBOUND ON THE A285-PICTURED SOUTHERN ROAD BLOCK A MALE DECEASED AT SCENE AGED LATE TWENTIES The A285 road between Chichester and Midhurst has been closed to traffic in both directions between Droke Lane and Selhurst Park Lane while emergency services deal with a serious single-vehicle crash believed to have occurred during the early hours of today, Monday (15 February). The circumstances are currently being investigated. Pressline SUS-160217-121018001RED MONDEO - POSSIBLY CRASHED LAST NIGHT - ARUNDEL RPU SEEKING WITNESSES TO THE CRASH - DRIVING NORTHBOUND ON THE A285-PICTURED SOUTHERN ROAD BLOCK A MALE DECEASED AT SCENE AGED LATE TWENTIES The A285 road between Chichester and Midhurst has been closed to traffic in both directions between Droke Lane and Selhurst Park Lane while emergency services deal with a serious single-vehicle crash believed to have occurred during the early hours of today, Monday (15 February). The circumstances are currently being investigated. Pressline SUS-160217-121018001
RED MONDEO - POSSIBLY CRASHED LAST NIGHT - ARUNDEL RPU SEEKING WITNESSES TO THE CRASH - DRIVING NORTHBOUND ON THE A285-PICTURED SOUTHERN ROAD BLOCK A MALE DECEASED AT SCENE AGED LATE TWENTIES The A285 road between Chichester and Midhurst has been closed to traffic in both directions between Droke Lane and Selhurst Park Lane while emergency services deal with a serious single-vehicle crash believed to have occurred during the early hours of today, Monday (15 February). The circumstances are currently being investigated. Pressline SUS-160217-121018001

An executive order from West Sussex County Council gave the green light for an extra £1.5million to be allocated to the scheme last week after a successful bid for government funding.

County councillor Janet Duncton said the council was advised to apply for the funds after the road was listed in the top ten most dangerous roads in England for two years running up to 2016.

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She said: “We’re looking at the possibilities, we’re taking advantage of the fact the government has given the opportunity to look at improvements.

“I don’t think anything very dramatic is going to happen but at the moment highways are working on it.

“There’s no accounting for bad drivers, roads don’t come up and hit you, but if there’s anything about that road that needs to be done that’s what we’re about, is making the road safer.”

The £1.532million allocated this week is the second grant from the Department of Transport towards safety measures on the A285.

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In 2016, the road was identified as Britain’s persistently highest risk road by the Road Safety Foundation, with three fatalities that year along its 12-mile length.

West Sussex County Council will put out a tender for the works once highways officers have finished analysing the road and come up with details of what needs to be done.

Initial proposals include constructing a hardened carriageway edge strip, or haunching, along 12 kilometres of the road, along with other alterations outside of the 30mph zones.

It is hoped the scheme can raise the rating from an average of 1.7 stars out of five, to two, including improvements to a dangerous one-star rated stretch between Halnaker and Upwaltham.

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Related topics:ChichesterPetworthWest Sussex County CouncilEngland