VIDEO: Horsham town centre roads set for £80,000 ‘facelift’

Part of a wider Horsham District Council project to enhance the area, the county council will embark on three improvement schemes in Carfax, Blackhorse Way and Causeway to make them safer for the public.

Three pedestrian ramps in Carfax will be reconstructed and repairs will be made to the carriageway.

The existing ramps and granite carriageway were first installed in the late 1980s.

Since that time the ramps have been fixed on several occasions, but are now showing signs of major failure.

They will be rebuilt to modern safety standards, while granite stones on the carriageway will be repaired.

Blackhorse Way, one of the main routes into the town centre and heavily used by buses and delivery vehicles, will be resurfaced.

Causeway, which is in a conservation area and leads to the 13th century St Mary’s Church, will also be resurfaced.

The existing gravel-type surface has deteriorated and is being replaced with silver grey granite chipping.

West Sussex County Council is holding a public exhibition at Swan Walk shopping centre from 10am to 3pm on Wednesday, January 16 and Thursday, January 17 2013.

The public and local businesses and traders are invited to attend on either day to ask any questions they have about the works.

County council cabinet member for highways and transport, Pieter Montyn, said: “Horsham is an attractive town and we want to help keep it that way.

“The ramps in Carfax have become unsightly and must be upgraded to make them safe for everyone to use.

“We apologise for the disruption the work in the town centre will cause, but rest assured we will do our upmost to minimise the impact.”

Helena Croft, Horsham District Council’s cabinet member for Horsham Town, communication and special projects, said: “I am looking forward to seeing how these important improvements take shape to make these areas safer for the public to use.

“It is extremely important that we maintain our infrastructure to a high standard, so I am pleased to see these important works being carried out by the Highways Authority.

“Thank you for your patience whilst the works are in progress.”

For safety reasons, sections of Carfax will be closed to traffic during the work.

It is anticipated the closure will last for six weeks – depending on weather - with a break over the Easter bank holiday weekend.

The break has been organised to accommodate the ‘Piazza Italia’ event, which takes place in the town centre on Sunday, March 29, 2013.

The closure of Carfax will be done in stages to allow as much access to the town centre as possible.

Road diversions will be put in place. The one-way system in Carfax will need to be made two-way for traffic for a temporary period in order for the diversions to work.

The closure of Blackhorse Way will also require a diversion route.