Key South Downs road reopens after collapse

West Chiltington Road – a major route between the A259 Pulborough and West Chiltington – has been shut since before Christmas at Panners Drive after flooding and ‘severe damage’ to the road surface following the collapse of a culvert under the carriageway.

A West Sussex County Council spokesperson said: “We would like to thank the public for their patience while we designed and built a long-term solution following the collapse of a culvert in West Chiltington Road, near Panners Drive.

“The collapse caused flooding and significant damage to the road surface. Since then, our efforts to design and build a long-term solution were largely thwarted by persistent, heavy rainfall and flooding.

“However, during the relatively dry weather over the last week or so, our contractor made significant progress and the road was reopened today (Friday).”

The most recent work included installing a culvert pipe, pouring the concrete surround and reprofiling land on either side of the road to ensure that water can flow into and away from the culvert.

Various sections of carriageway were then reinstated today.

The highways team will continue to check local roads that were being used as cut throughs to ensure that any safety issues, such as potholes, are picked up.