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 in October 2008. The Orders were made with modifications in March 2010.

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.
• A two way service road from Warninglid to provide access to commercial and residential properties on the west side of the A23. 
• Footway/cycleway between Handcross and Warninglid with connections to the local footpath network between Slaugham and Warninglid. Equestrians will also be able to use the route between Slaugham and Warninglid. 
• Two lanes to be kept open in each direction during construction. 
• An estimated range forecast cost of £87 million to £103 million.

Recent Developments

Detailed scheme proposals were published in draft Orders under the Highways Act in October and November 2008. 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 Spring 2009. Copies are available from our contractor's website.

A Public Inquiry into the scheme proposals was held before an independent Inspector, Mr Colin Tyrrell in 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 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.

Following the additional traffic modeling the consultation was held between 11th December 2009 and 22nd January 2010. A copy of the consultation brochure can be found on the Publications Page. The representations received were forwarded to the Secretaries of State who announced their final decision on 15 March 2010. Copies of this second decision letter and the Report on the Consultation can also be found on the Department for Transport's website.

The Secretaries of State announced that the draft Orders would be modified to delete Slaugham junction and to provide an alternative access to Handcross Market Garden from the improved Brighton Road. Traffic monitoring will be undertaken upon closure of Slaugham junction to determine any consequential effects on the local network and, if necessary, traffic management and calming measures will be developed in consultation with the local community.

We hope to start advanced environmental mitigation works in the May or June of 2010 and subject to the availability of funds, the main works in the Summer of 2011. The main works will take about two and a half years to build.