A £47 MILLION road building project that will shave less than 15 seconds off drivers’ journeys is one of a number of options now being considered to solve a notorious traffic bottleneck.

The upgrade to the A27 at Selmeston which would take 18 months to complete is one of three options being considered around the East Sussex village.

Highways England proposals for east of Lewes include plans to improve traffic at the Drusillas Roundabout and around Polegate and Wilmington.

They were shown to the public for the first time yesterday.

MPs Maria Caulfield and Caroline Ansell have welcomed the proposals but continue to push for a more extensive and expensive bypass.

Highways England bosses said while many residents wanted a bypass to the north of the A27, the smaller scale proposals on the table would bring short to medium-term improvements while further studies will look into longer-term investment.

The body added that there were significant constraints to the project including the South Downs National Park, the Coastway railway line, flooding risks and 12 noise improvement areas where road traffic noise were already an issue.

Residents are now being given the chance to choose between three options around Selmeston including the £47 million upgrade which will have “no significant effect” on improving journey times.

A £55 million bypass to the south of the village would cut journey times between 30 and 60 seconds while a £45 million bypass closer to Selmeston would cut journey times by up to 30 seconds.

Highways England said the bypass south of Selmeston would have large adverse and long-term effects on the surrounding landscape and views from the South Downs.

Also on the table is a £10 million project to enlarge the Drusillas Roundabout which would cost £10 million and cut journeys by up to 90 seconds.

Three options around Polegate include a £12 million junction upgrade, a £17 million junction upgrade and railway bridge widening or a £28 million junction, railway bridge and road widening scheme.

Two options at Wilmington are a £10 million pedestrian island or a £12 million underpass.

Eastbourne MP Caroline Ansell said: “There are clearly some wins in the plans to improve the existing road particularly the work on the Drusillas roundabout - a notorious black spot well-known to motorists.

“In the meantime, it's important to know that, alongside these small scale, shorter term improvements, plans must continue to secure the funding for a new bypass.”

Lewes MP Maria Caulfield said: “Improving infrastructure is one of the most important tasks facing MPs across the South East, and being able to take improvements to the A27 forward is a vital step in completing that task.”

A preferred route will be selected next year and work could begin in 2019.