Stockbridge Road in Chichester reopens early after works

Stockbridge Road in Chichester had been closed since October 10 while SGN carried out the work.

In a statement on Tuesday, November 10, West Sussex County Council said the road was expected to be fully reopened the same evening, after the company had cleared its equipment from the site.

The closure had originally been expected to last approximately seven weeks.

The council said the closure had caused high levels of disruption for residents of the peninsula on their daily journeys.

Earlier in the closure, West Sussex Highways said several vehicles had been reported to police for attempting to drive through it, causing damage to traffic management equipment.

Stockbridge Road in Chichester has reopened following gas mains replacement work (Image: Google)

Following discussions with the council, SGN brought in additional crews to work at weekends and speed up progress.

The council's network management compliance team inspected the site on Tuesday morning to ensure the reinstated carriageway met the required standard.

Temporary traffic lights at the Sidlesham triangle junction and on Appledram Lane, which were used to control traffic on the diversion route, will also be removed.

The project will move to its second phase on Birdham Road, between The Meadows and Strides Court, from Wednesday, November 11.

Multi-way temporary traffic lights will control traffic for approximately four weeks.

The council said it understood the frustrations of people delayed by the work and thanked them for their patience.

It said questions about the duration of the work or the next phase should be directed to SGN.