Highways Agency - Safe roads, Reliable journeys, Informed travellers

The Project

Please note that the 'Targeted Programme of Improvement (TPI)' is now known as the 'Programme of Major Schemes'.

The Highways Agency plans to improve the A23 Trunk Road between Handcross and Warninglid, south of Crawley, in West Sussex. The proposed improvements are broadly along the line of the existing A23 and draft Orders and an Environmental Statement detailing the proposals were published on 24th October 2008.

Key features of the scheme proposals now published are:

• Approximately 3.8km of dual three-lane carriageway to replace the existing dual two-lane carriageway between Handcross and Warninglid junctions located generally within the existing highway boundary. There will be no main carriageway lighting or laybys
• Closure of direct local residential and commercial accesses and provision of alternative access routes to improve safety.    
• Revised junctions at Handcross and Warninglid including rebuilding the weighbridge site at Handcross (further consultation is being undertaken about removing an improved junction at Slaugham)
• A two way service road from Warninglid to provide access to commercial and residential properties on the west side of the A23. 
• Footway/cycleway/bridleway between Handcross and Warninglid with connections to the local footpath network between Slaugham and Warninglid. 
• Two lanes to be kept open in each direction during construction. 
• An estimated range forecast cost of £76 million to £105 million.

Recent Developments

Detailed scheme proposals were published in draft Orders under the Highways Act in October and November 2008 and were open for comment and objection until 23rd January 2009. An Environmental Statement was published at the same time and two Addenda to the Environmental Statement covering a re-assessment of the affects of Noise and Vibration were published later in the Spring.

Over 150 letters and Emails were received in response to the publication of the draft Orders including a number of alternative suggestions to the published scheme and as a consequence it was announced in January 2009 that a Public Inquiry would be held. Two brochures outlining the 13 alternative proposals received were published in May 2009 and can be found on the Publications page.

The Public Inquiry was held before an independent Inspector, Mr Colin Tyrrell between 16th and 25th June 2009 at Slaugham Manor Training and Conference Centre. The Inspector submitted his report in mid September and the Secretaries of State announced their decision on 28 October 2009. Copies of the decision letter and the Inspector's Report can be found on the Department for Transport's website.

The Secretaries of State announced in principle that the scheme would go ahead but that further consultation would be held on the proposal not to provide an improved junction at Slaugham and alternative access proposals to Handcross Market Garden. Before this, further traffic forecasting work on local roads would be undertaken and published as part of the consultation.

The additional traffic modelling work has been completed as has the consultation process, which started on 11th December 2009 and concluded on 22nd January 2010. All representations received have been forwarded to the Secretaries of State. Details of the alternative proposals upon which representations were sought and the further traffic forecasting work are contained in a brochure that was circulated in the area and can be found on the Publications Page. 

Subject to the final decision of the Secretaries of State following the consultation,  we hope to start advanced mitigation works in the Summer of 2010 and the main works in the Summer of 2011. The scheme will take about two and a half years to build.