TEMPORARY traffic lights are to be put in place to ease traffic problems on a key coastal route between Seaford and Eastbourne.

Heavy queuing traffic has been reported in recent weeks on the westbound A259 at Exceat Bridge, a knock-on effect of the closure of Alfriston High Street for water main replacement work being carried out by South East Water.

East Sussex Highways has agreed with the water company to co-fund temporary lights, which will be installed either side of the bridge tomorrow – Thursday, January 30 2020.

The lights mean westbound and eastbound traffic will filter in turn to cross the single lane bridge, with the current priority for eastbound traffic temporarily suspended.

Karl Taylor, East Sussex County Council assistant director of operations, said “The knock-on effect of the water main works is that many motorists have been diverting through Jevington and Litlington.

“This has resulted in a lot of traffic which would usually go through Alfriston straight down to Seaford instead heading west over Exceat Bridge, which has led to delays of up to an hour for some motorists.

“We’ve listened to people’s concerns and put our heads together with South East Water to come up with a solution which, while it won’t eliminate queues completely, should go some way towards easing these issues.

“We’d like to thank people for their patience and understanding and we’ll continue to monitor the situation to see how the temporary lights are working once they’re in place.”

South East Water’s Project Manager Jeremy Dufour said: “We are sorry for the inconvenience the scheme to replace 600 metres of burst-prone old water main in Alfriston is causing.

“Updates of our work can be found at corporate.southeastwater.co.uk/Alfriston as it progresses.”

Motorists are being asked to help reduce congestion at Exceat by using the official diversion route which runs along the A27 between the Drusillas and Beddingham roundabouts and down the A26 to rejoin the A259 in Newhaven.