East Sussex transport links to get £31m boost
Getty ImagesA package of potential transport and road safety investment totalling almost £31m has been agreed for East Sussex.
East Sussex County Council approved the authority's draft programme of transport improvements for the 2026/27 financial year on Monday.
Money is expected to go towards walking and cycling improvements in Bexhill, town centre improvements in Hastings, the A259 bus priority scheme in Newhaven and two bus schemes in Eastbourne, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.
Funding for the schemes is expected to be drawn from different sources, including government grants and contributions linked to housing developments.
The majority of the potential funding package (£10.41m) is expected to be drawn from the Local Growth Fund, Levelling Up Fund or Town Deal monies.
Funding is expected to go towards major schemes, including:
- £1.07m for walking and cycling improvements in Bexhill
- £1.276m for junction improvements at Station Approach and Havelock Road in Hastings
- £5.5m for town centre improvements proposed as part of the Hastings Green Connections project
The report said the council had been awarded bus grant capital funding of £17.3m, which is intended to be spent on creating bus lanes and installing real time information signs at bus stops.
The draft programme also said £8.475m would be drawn from Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) funding.
Most of this BSIP funding — around £4m — is expected to go towards the first phase of the A259 bus priority scheme in Newhaven, aiming to build an improved bus interchange area at Denton Corner.
The remaining money would largely go towards two bus priority schemes in Eastbourne: £1.834m for bus lanes around Eastbourne railway station; and £2.77m for bus lanes in Seaside and St Anthony's Avenue.
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