Firm chosen to build A27 bypass bridge

A firm has been chosen to build a bridge over the River Arun as part of plans to improve the A27 at Arundel.
Concept art for a bridge over the River ArunConcept art for a bridge over the River Arun
Concept art for a bridge over the River Arun

Knight Architects, along with engineering consultant WSP, has been appointed by Highways England to design bridge crossings for the proposed new A27 Arundel Bypass.

A spokesman for Highways England said: “The A27 corridor through Arundel has historically suffered from congestion and delays due to the fact that the road turns into a single carriageway in that area.

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“The A27 Arundel bypass scheme, identified within the Government’s 2015-2020 Road Investment Strategy, aims to solve this problem by means of a new dual carriageway between the A284 Crossbush junction (east of Arundel) to the west of Yapton Lane (west of Arundel), measuring approximately 6 kilometres on the existing route.”

Highways England is studyingthree different options to improve the A27 in this area.

Several important factors have been taken into account for the design of the bridges of the new road which include the visual impact of part of the scheme on panoramic views from the historic town of Arundel, the proximity of the South Downs National Park, including areas of Ancient Woodland, and that half of the road stretch crosses a floodplain with a complex hydraulic behaviour.

Highways England has commissioned Knight Architects to work together with WSP to design all the bridges for the three alignment options that it is exploring.

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The work carried out by Knight Architects includes seven different bridge types, to be used in more than 15 bridges, including a 1.7km long viaduct, a family of overbridges and two urban footbridges.

Highways England is a public consultation from on the A27 Arundel Bypass project.