Manor Royal Highways Improvements, Crawley

Project Overview

This third and final phase has begun in February 2025 to improve the extension of the eastbound bus lane which will provide a dedicated bus route that connects the A23 London Road with Gatwick Road. This phase of works is expected to be completed in September 2025.

The bus lane extension is part of the County Council’s Bus Service Improvement Plan, which is funded by a grant from the Department for Transport. It is designed to enhance the reliability of local bus services and reduce passengers’ journey times. The works will also aim to improve infrastructure durability and reduce maintenance cost over several years.

From the back (closest to the bus) from left to right – Cllr Michael Jones (CBC), Cllr Paul Marshall (WSCC) and Nick Hill (Metrobus). Second row from left to right – Steve Sawyer (Manor Royal BID), Cllr Atif Nawaz (CBC), Nick Burrell (WSCC), Gill Foster (WSP), Cllr Bob Lanzer (WSCC), Dipo Lafinhan (WSCC), Dave Jackson (Landbuild).

West Sussex County Council entered into an Enhanced Partnership with local bus operators in March 2024 to deliver countywide bus service patronage recovery and improvements in line with the Bus Back Better National Bus Strategy for England. Following an ambitious Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) submitted in October 2021, the Department for Transport (DfT) confirmed that the council had been granted £12m towards capital projects from a total £17.4m award over three years. £2.67m of this £12m is funding this strategically important final phase of bus lane infrastructure aligned to the Crawley Growth Programme objectives of implementing improvements across the town to support business investment and employment growth.

Manor Royal Phase 3 Overview Plan

Manor Royal Phase 3 Overview Drawing

Project Updates

Updated 14/03/2025

WSCC appreciate your patience and cooperation as work progresses on the Manor Royal project. The bus lane to the southern side of Manor Royal has been suspended to facilitate construction activities which are currently carried out with traffic management in place to utilise the northern lane as a running lane for the machinery and providing a safety zone.

Week 5 Summary

This week, the contractors have focused on section 3, collaborating with Southern Gas Network (SGN) to dig a trench for the gas main diversion route. You can find relevant drawings under the photos section on the right side of the webpage.

Look Ahead – Week 6 (Section 3)

• Traffic Management Implementation: A designated running lane will remain in place to allow construction plant and dumpers to operate within the working area, reducing the need for vehicular movements on verges. Bus lane suspension of the bus lane up to Faraday road to simplify traffic flow.
• Gas Main Diversion Works: SGN will be installing the new main.
• Bus Lane Excavation: Earthworks will continue for the new bus lane within Section 3.
• Pedestrian Access: The pedestrian crossing within Section 3 will remain closed however, alternative crossing points to the East and West will remain fully operational.

We remain committed to ensuring minimal disruption and maintaining safety standards throughout the duration of the project. Thank you for your continued support.

Press Releases

For recent press releases, please click on the links below (opens in a new tab):

Bus lane to be extended as part of the Manor Royal highway improvement scheme

Alternate formats

If you require any of the information for this project in an alternative format, please contact us on 01243 777100 or email us at ManorRoyal@westsussex.gov.uk. If you are deaf or hard of hearing and have an NGT texting app installed on your computer, laptop or smartphone, you can contact us on 18001 01243 777100.

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