The A23 by the Royal Pavilion will be closed overnight for two weeks this month as work to create a new public square continues.
The road will be resurfaced from the Old Steine to Edward Street from Sunday, October 12 to Sunday, October 26, with traffic diverted south of Marlborough Place from 8pm to 6am.
Work to widen and reconfigure pavements on the eastern side is almost complete, and is now moving to the west side, where a new cycle lane is already beginning to take shape.
The replacement of the Aquarium roundabout with traffic signals has not yet started – but the whole scheme, known as Valley Gardens 3, is on track to be completed by next summer.
A wider pavement just north of the fire-ravaged Royal Albion Hotel is now being built, and new streetlighting throughout the area is being connected.
During the overnight road closures, buses will be diverted along different routes depending on which section is being resurfaced.
When the Old Steine north of St James’s Street is closed:
- St James’s Street buses will operate as usual.
- Southbound services will divert via Lower Rock Gardens and the seafront before continuing along North Street.
- Northbound services will divert via Queens Road and North Road before continuing from St Peter’s Church.
When St James’s Street is closed:
- Buses will divert via the seafront or Edward Street and rejoin their usual route from Rock Gardens.
When the Old Steine south of St James’s Street is closed:
- Coastal bus services will divert via Edward Street and rejoin their usual route from Rock Gardens.
Following the resurfacing, northbound traffic will switch to its new home on the eastern side of the Old Steine.
The Royal Pavilion bus stops will also be closed with new bus stops north of the war memorial and at Castle Square being brought into use.
Councillor Trevor Muten, Cabinet member for Transport and City Infrastructure, said: “The work to transform the Valley Gardens 3 area has been going really well, which is great news.
“The resurfacing work will mean smoother roads for people travelling to and from the seafront.
“I appreciate there will be overnight disruption for a couple of weeks and I wish to thank residents for their patience as we do everything we can to get this work done as quickly as possible.”
The horrors of Valley Gardens 3 so far have done nothing if not prove how essential the Aquarium roundabout is. It is madness to get rid of it when the council’s own transport experts have told them this traffic scheme will increase delays and emissions. And research from New York has proven that roundabouts are safer than junctions so there is no argument to be had for greater safety as a result. Which leaves deliberate obstruction of traffic as the motive, including emergency vehicles trying to save lives in this city.
But the council’s planning expert has said the roads will be smoother and who are we to say the council is mad?
The new layout will make very little difference to an emergency vehicle.
No Elaine lol, just no.
There is very little need to drive in Brighton, most people do because they are lazy. It’s really as simple as that
That’s just your opinion Dave, remember the A259 is a major through road for many motorists where Public Transport isn’t suitable for many reasons.
More boomer whining from the fattest and most home idol whataboutists plaguing the city.
Hi Mark,
Did you know that, according to the dictionary, an idol person is someone who is greatly admired, loved, or revered by others, often to the point of being a celebrity or a symbol of inspiration
Makes a change to see you being nice to people for once or is it that you simply can’t spell?
I’m so confused why anyone would want to keep an ugly roundabout in one of THE most visited parts of the city on foot by tourists and residents?! This is literally where everyone needs to cross the road to get to the seafront and it’s so scary to cross.
It’s also the ‘shop window’ to our seafront so it would be nice if it didn’t look so run down and dilapidated that end of town
The roundabout keeps traffic flowing and is safer according to various expert sources, these include the Dft, motoring originations and other Transport groups.
This is a major through road and people have been crossing at this location using the four controlled crossing for as long as I can remember.
Guess what, taking away the roundabout and replacing it with a T Junction will make absolutely no difference to where people cross as they will be exactly the same place as they are now.
What you will have, is additional traffic queuing at the traffic lights increasing congestion and pollution that isn’t there now.
As for being run down, decades of neglect by a succession of Councils who would rather spend millions on unwanted and unneeded vanity projects than keep the town clean and respectable.
Absolutely crazy to lose the roundabout. It will cause huge traffic queues. Where as it is, traffic continues to move smoothly. Do not try to fix something thats not broken
I know people must feel concerned about that. But we should be willing to challenge ourselves. As a driver I still don’t think car traffic is a priority above pedestrian traffic. Brighton’s full of traffic all over the shop, it’s no driving Mecca, that’s just how it is. It’s a small place! Bring on the extra green space and that end of town not looking like a 1980s dump I say