An £8 million bridge scheme across the A259 has been approved by a national park.

The Exceat Bridge Scheme involves the realignment and replacement of an existing single-lane bridge at the A259 over the River Cuckmere. It will be replaced with a new two-way, two-lane bridge with a footpath, including re-profiling of the river and road embankments.

The existing bridge was built around 1870 to allow horses and carts to cross the river, but has caused a bottleneck for traffic passing through East Sussex.

Plans for the new bridge, which is expected to take two years to build, have been approved by the South Downs National Park Authority.

However, the development has proved controversial, with a campaign group describing the new bridge as “unnecessary”.

Derrick Coffee, county officer for Transport Futures East Sussex, said that traffic lights at the bridge, which have been in place on each side of the bridge for several months, had helped solve congestion problems.

Lewes MP Maria Caulfield described the approval of the project as “brilliant news”.

She said: “We have been campaigning tirelessly to ensure that the planning for the Exceat Bridge Scheme is approved and I am thrilled that it has now been approved and work can finally begin.”