Queues of up to two hours have left tens of thousands of commuters struggling through A27 roadworks every day – and there will be no respite for a month.

Almost as soon as roadworks were installed at the busy A27 junction at Crossbush, near Arundel, on Monday, the road became gridlocked with hundreds of motorists stuck in miles of jams behind a broken-down vehicle.

The Highways Agency apologised for Monday’s long delays and tinkered with the layout of the works to try to help traffic flow more easily.

They plan to carry out work 24 hours a day later when they are further into the project but said the current work being done is too noisy to be done at night.

Instead commuters face another four weeks of delays until the resurfacing work is finished.

Drivers have been forced to sit in traffic jams both east and westbound as other routes such as the A259 through Littlehampton have also been busy.

Local councillors and MPs say they have been inundated with complaints from constituents angry at the delays.

Arun district councillor Paul Dendle accused the Highways Agency of damaging Arundel and the area’s economy with the work.

West Sussex county councillor Nigel Peters said the problem was with the road and not the way the works had been organised, adding it becomes a “nightmare” whenever something goes wrong on it.

He said: “The Highways Agency did give plenty of notice.”

The leaders of councils across the county have written to Transport Secretary Justine Greening asking for her to prioritise redevelopment work on the A27.

Coun Peters said without investment in “England’s most unreliable trunk road” the local economy would be harmed.

The Highways Agency changed the phasing of the traffic lights to help keep traffic moving after Monday’s delays.

Arundel and South Downs MP Nick Herbert said: “I'm concerned about the disruption caused by these works and the impact on local traders. I would like to know why this will take so long and whether there’s a way of reducing the impact in the daytime. I have written to the Roads Minister about this issue.”

A spokesman said: “We did have some problems. Delays were well in excess of what we were expecting and we don’t regard them as acceptable. We have made some adjustments. It is certainly something that we are keeping under constant review.”