Balfour Beatty is working in partnership with East Sussex County Council to manage the highways service across East Sussex. As part of this, we will be carrying out surface dressing works on the B2116 through Ditchiling, Westmeston and Plumpton.
What does the work involve?
A layer of liquid bitumen is sprayed onto the road surface to seal it and provide a binder for stone chippings which are then spread on top. The road surface is then rolled to embed the chippings. This provides enhanced skid resistance, and prolongs the life of the road by up to 10 years by preventing water damage to the underlying structure.
Excess chippings are then swept after approximately 24 hours, on the third day and 7 days after the works are completed, however, this may change due to the weather conditions at the time.
When do they start?
These works are extremely weather dependant. If it rains or is too hot, we may be unable to start the work. We will inform you of any changes to the dates via advanced warning signs on site.
Work will be carried out in 2 sections – Please see below for maps and diversion information.
Monday 24 July – Cats eyes will be removed under a road closure between 8pm and 6am from Lodge Hill Lane, Ditchling to the West Sussex Boundary, East of Beaconhurst. [Section 1]
Tuesday 25 July – Work will continue from previous night on Section 1 and move into Section 2 from A275 Cooksbridge Road to High Street, Ditchling. Road closure will be in place between 8pm and 6am [Section 2]
Saturday 12 August - Surface Dressing to be carried out between 7am and 7pm from Lodge Hill Lane, Ditchling to the West Sussex Boundary, East of Beaconhurst. [Section 1]
Sunday 13 August – Work will continue from previous night on Section 1 and move into Section 2 from A275 Cooksbridge Road to High Street, Ditchling. Road closure will be in place between 7am and 7pm. [Section 2]
Lining and cats eyes will be replaced at a later date which will be confirmed via advanced warning signs.
During the above periods, the road will be closed from the junction with the A275 Cooksbridge Road to the West Sussex boundary, East of Beaconhurst.
How will this impact highway users?
The B2116 will be closed to through traffic during these works. A diversion route will be in place for all closures. Please see maps below.
There are no plans for weekend working during these dates. If you need vehicle access, please discuss this with the team on site to see if this is possible. Please bear in mind there will be delays whilst the area is made safe and your vehicle is escorted by site marshalls.
Access for pedestrians and emergency vehicles will be maintained.
Information for residents and businesses
Properties close to the works area may experience a temporary disturbance as this can be a noisy process. During periods of very dry and hot weather, there may be an increased amount of dust generated when the product is laid and for up to a week afterwards, we will do our best to minimise this.
Following the works, advisory 20mph speed limits are put in place to protect road users from loose chippings.
We would like to take this opportunity to apologise for any inconvenience or disruption this work may cause, however this forms part of our continuing improvement for the East Sussex highway network.
Please let us know how we did by leaving feedback. Please note you will be redirected to the East Sussex County Council consultation website.