A27 road

A27 road
Country	England
Route	27
Length mi	92
Direction A	West
Terminus A	Whitechapel
Direction B	East
Terminus B	Pevensey Bay
Major cities	Portsmouth, Chichester, Worthing, Hove, Brighton and Hove, Lewes, Arundel

A27 road

The A27 is a major primary arterial route on the south coast of England, linking key ports, resorts and historic towns across Hampshire, West Sussex and East Sussex. It connects transport hubs such as Portsmouth Harbour, Chichester Harbour, Brighton and the approaches to Hastings and Eastbourne, providing strategic continuity between the M27 motorway, A3(M), and coastal corridors toward the M25 motorway and the A23 road. The corridor serves freight to Port of Southampton, commuter flows to Horsham and tourist access for destinations like Seven Sisters and Beachy Head.

Route description

The route begins near Whitechapel and proceeds eastward skirting the northern edge of Fareham before meeting the M27 motorway and the approaches to Portsmouth Harbour via the A3(M). It continues past Arundel and through the floodplain of the River Arun toward Chichester, where it intersects roads to Goodwood House and the Chichester Festival Theatre. East of Chichester the A27 runs adjacent to Chichester Harbour and the coastal plain, passing Bognor Regis and the approaches to Littlehampton before proceeding toward Worthing and Hove. Through the Brighton and Hove conurbation the road skirts the northern edge of Brighton and meets the A23 road radial from London near Patcham before continuing past Lewes and along the northern approaches to Newhaven and Seaford, terminating near Pevensey Bay in the vicinity of Hastings approaches.

History

The corridor evolved from historic turnpikes and coaching routes that connected Portsmouth, Chichester and Brighton in the 18th and 19th centuries, with legislative precursors in county turnpike trusts active in Sussex and Hampshire. Twentieth-century motor traffic growth after the First World War and the interwar expansion of seaside resorts such as Bognor Regis and Brighton prompted successive upgrades and reclassifications under the Ministry of Transport. Post‑war developments included bypasses around Arundel, Chichester and Worthing influenced by plans associated with B3054 re-routing and coordinated with trunk road designations near the M27 motorway and the A3(M). Major late 20th-century interventions incorporated grade-separated junctions to serve industrial estates and military ports near Portsmouth and Arundel Park, reflecting defence logistics linked to Portsmouth Dockyard and Civil Aviation access to Bognor Regis Airport.

Junctions and major intersections

Key junctions include connections with the M27 motorway and the A3(M) which facilitate movements to London and the M25 motorway orbital route. Interchanges with the A3 road provide access to Guildford and further north; the A27 also links with the A23 road toward Crawley and Gatwick Airport. East‑west continuity is reinforced by junctions serving A259 road coastal links and the A24 road toward Dorking and Epsom, plus local trunk accesses to A27 feeder roads serving Havant and Littlehampton. Other important intersections include the approaches to Lewes and the connection toward Newhaven Harbour.

Traffic and safety

Traffic volumes on the corridor vary with seasonal tourism peaks serving Brighton and Bognor Regis, commuter surges toward Chichester and freight flows to Port of Southampton and Port of Newhaven. Congestion hotspots historically include urban approaches to Worthing, the Lewes bypass area, and the junctions with radial routes to London such as the A23 road and A24 road. Safety assessments by regional road authorities have focused on collision clusters near former at‑grade junctions, rural single carriageway stretches around Arundel and sections where trunk status transitions to local authority control. Measures have included speed limit reviews, improved signing near heritage sites such as Goodwood Circuit and visibility works close to protected landscapes like South Downs National Park.

Public transport and services

The route supports bus corridors linking intermodal nodes including Portsmouth & Southsea station, Chichester station, Worthing station and Brighton station, integrating services operated by providers serving Horsham, Crawley and Haywards Heath. Park-and-ride facilities and coach services use A27 approaches to access festival and sporting venues such as Brighton Centre and Goodwood Festival of Speed; proximity to ferry terminals at Portsmouth Harbour and rail freight facilities at Newhaven Harbour provides multimodal connectivity. Roadside services include service areas and local petrol stations near Arundel, Bognor Regis and Lewes, with emergency response coordinated with county Sussex Police and Hampshire Constabulary highway patrol units.

Future developments and upgrades

Planned interventions have been debated for decades, including proposals for improved bypasses around Lewes and capacity enhancements through Worthing and Chichester approaches to reduce congestion for A23 and M27 connected traffic. Suggested projects feature selective dualling, grade separation at major junctions and ecological mitigation for impacts on South Downs National Park and coastal habitats such as Chichester Harbour. Funding discussions have involved national transport bodies and county councils with reference to strategic freight movements to Port of Southampton and regional economic growth plans tied to Coastal Communities Fund priorities. Stakeholder consultations have also referenced heritage constraints near Arundel Castle and landscape protections enforced by planning authorities.

Category:Roads in England Category:Transport in West Sussex Category:Transport in East Sussex