M23 slip road night closures as part of Junction 10 upgrade

The northbound slip road at Junction 10 of the M23 in Crawley will be shut overnight on April 26, as part of ongoing works to increase capacity and reduce congestion at the junction. The closure will also include part of the roundabout. The southbound slip road and part of the roundabout at the junction will subsequently be closed overnight from the week commencing May 11, up to and including May 15.

The works have been underway since February (Image: Breheny Civil Engineering/Persimmon/Taylor Wimpey) The closures follow traffic lights being turned off at the roundabout on April 15, a change made in response to public feedback over traffic backing up onto the M23 southbound and along Crawley Avenue. The improvement scheme, which began in February [1] and is expected to take around 12 months to complete, forms part of wider plans to support the Forge Wood neighbourhood and long-term growth in Crawley.

Forge Wood, currently under construction to the northeast of Crawley, will become the town's 14th neighbourhood and provide nearly 2,000 new homes. The junction upgrade will help accommodate the increased traffic from the development and surrounding growth. The wider scheme [2] includes upgrading slip roads, widening the eastern side of the roundabout and installing improved traffic signals to better manage vehicle flows.

Recent works at Junction 10 have included installing traffic management systems and constructing a piling mat, a type of working platform, on the southbound off-slip. Similar work is nearly complete for the northbound off-slip. Additional traffic management has also been put in place on Copthorne Way, where works are about to begin.

The scheme is being delivered by Persimmon Homes and Taylor Wimpey, in partnership with West Sussex County Council and National Highways.

Construction works are being carried out by Breheny Civil Engineering.

References

^ which began in February (www.theargus.co.uk)
^ The wider scheme (www.theargus.co.uk)