Traffic lights around the Old Steine are being switched on today as work to complete the revamp of the roads around it nears completion.
The Victoria Fountain has also been switched on now landscaping work around it is all but finished – but still out of bounds for a few weeks while the newly laid turf settles.
The scheme, the third phase of a reworking of the A23 from The Level to the seafront, has also seen the Aquarium roundabout replaced with a T-junction and traffic lights, new separate cycle lanes and a new outdoor events space in between the Pavilion Gardens and the war memorial.
Plans were originally approved in January 2022, but work did not start until the end of 2025 after Labour delayed the scheme for more traffic analysis after winning local elections in 2023.
Remaining work includes installing bollards and bins, finishing the electric vehicle charging points and painting the street lighting on the seafront.
The refurbishment of the former art deco bus shelters in Old Steine will be completed separately.
The approach from the West made a total mess of queues thanks to the scaffolding at the Royal Albion closing two of the three lanes. I hope they are being charged for the lane closures as they are causing huge delays. Can take an extra 10mins.
The queues from the East are not adding as much time, but clearly not as efficient as the old roundabout.
Brilliant. Glad to see it may be finishing at last.
Glad to hear it is nearly finished at last!looking foward to a nice looking more amenable sea front.
Taken ages but you know… I like it!! The fountains look great and I’m getting used to the road layout
I’m glad they’ve put benches in round the fountain. The previous ones disappeared over the years, and it’s a nice place to sit.
I agree it’s looking great, but with Christmas and next year’s Brighton Festival, not sure how long it will last.
Yes the one negative would be how damaging the constant events are on the area
As long as they stop hosting events on the grass and keep it cut, and watered it should look good but I bet they won’t water it next summer.
Anyone else noticed the tarmac is completely wrecked on the turn right into the bus lane bit… Should have lasted longer than the build surly
Million spent because the partner of a former green convenor was too frightened to use the roundabout.
Lowering IQs one post at a time.
This project has been excellent and the naysayers have truly been silenced. Loving the cycle lane, space and the new t junction works well. The feeemongers have been found wanting with their “traffic jam worries”.
My one question is this, what’s happening to the old tram shelters? Are they just being left covered with signs about the project?
they will be repurposed for use by pop up businesses
£13m spent to screw up traffic, make buses, taxis and all other vehicles slower.
But don’t worry – a handful of cllr Muten ‘s mates in Bricycles can now get into town a bit faster , and terrorise pedestrians on the way
Well done BHCC!
Moan moan moan moan moan. Are you capable of saying anything constructive or positive?
I think the changes are a real improvement.
The pro-diesel lobby has arrived.
I wasn’t keen on the proposals, but then again it isn’t good to encourage road traffic at this location.
It’s done, and there is no point making any judgement until we see how it works, and I’m so far pleasantly surprised. I’d still like to see some discipline imposed upon cycles though. It isn’t supposed to be a cycle racetrack, it’s supposed to be primarily for pedestrians.
I like the spaces. I like the feeling of being free of traffic when I walk around there. They way it looks so far, I think my misgivings are going to turn into enthusiasm.
What a scandalous waste of £15m to make a functional traffic system dysfunctional and unbalanced. The bus stops are now all in the wrong places for the elderly and disabled, the junctions are too wide for safe crossing, the bus interchange island is gone, the trees are already dying, ugly black boxes have appeared near the War Memorial. The lighting looks awful. The roundabout has gone causing long and unnecessary delays instead of keeping the traffic flow moving. There isn’t even a proper coach station any more. Driving is also a nightmare with longer queuing and inadequate disabled parking and delivery bays available, also mostly in the wrong places and the pavements are ridiculously wide in random places but not others.
On a positive not the turf is a pretty shade of green. But for how long?
Actually the bus stops are much better placed as you can change from any bus to any bus at the same stop where as before it was split across the entire old stein. As a bus user, 100% improvement.
Agree with a lot of this, but so many of the problems are caused by the Royal Albion hotel. The loss of the bus station is such a strange one for a sea side destination. That whole Pool Valley area is a mess thanks to that hotel. Anyone who has tried driving East through the junction knows how bad the traffic now is with everything forced into one lane.
One positive I see is the pedestrian crossings are at least timed with the main traffic lights as they are combined as one thing…
Seems so weird abandoning the historic and nice looking bus stops to leave them stranded like that. Nice architecture to be left to rot.
The kerbstones have been laid terribly and the pavement is uneven. Whoever signed off this awful standard of work needs sacking.
I notice that my sat nav now diverts along Edward St to avoid the sea front. The Concord 2 site would make a great bus station with the original list to be properly maintained for access to the upper level