The public will be consulted about plans to improve a traffic bottleneck on the A27 after the Government announced it would speed up proposals for improvements to the route.

Transport minister Tony McNulty has instructed the Highways Agency to work up proposals to improve the Chichester bypass ahead of the public consultation later this year.

The Highways Agency has already carried out exploratory work looking at less environmentally damaging options for improving the road.

The Chichester bypass is three miles long, with five roundabouts and one traffic signal-controlled junction.

Heavy congestion occurs at most of the pinchpoints during the daily and seasonal peaks, resulting in delays to trunk road and local traffic.

The agency's plans to upgrade the route involve a series of junction improvements, modifications to roundabouts to provide extra capacity, traffic management measures and better signalling.

Mr McNulty has asked the agency to publish a public consultation document later this year.