Bypass dips into trouble

Bypass dips into trouble

The bypass opened in June 2002

A multi-million pound bypass in East Sussex has run into trouble less than a year after it opened.

A dip has been discovered in a section of the A27 Polegate bypass which cost £17.2m.

Investigations are underway to discover what it causing the uneven road surface on the dual carriageway.

It is not clear whether it is a problem with the surface tarmac or a more serious structural flaw caused by water pipes underneath it.

Slip road closed

The road, which was started in September 2000, was opened officially in June 2002.

Problems arose almost as soon as it opened and a slip road had to be closed because it was deemed confusing for drivers.

The bypass was the first project to open in the government's £2bn targeted programme of 53 improvements to trunk roads and motorways.

The Highways Agency has said it is dealing with both the dip and the slip lane.

Councillor Roy Martin, from East Sussex County Council, said: "It is a worry. I am concerned for the people that use the bypass and I want to make sure their safety is okay."