Knight Architects and WSP to design Arundel bridges

Knight Architects and WSP have been appointed by Highways England to design a series of bridges for the proposed A27 Arundel Bypass in West Sussex. The WSP/Knight Architects team now has the challenge of getting the 6km long bypass over the River Arun and its wide flood plain, in view of the historic town of Arundel.

This part of England's south coast road network is well-known locally for being the point where the A27 dual carriageway ends abruptly at a wall of earth, which has indicated for the past 30 years that the original intention was for the road improvement to carry on past Arundel. Instead, motorists have had to leave the dual carriageway and drive on a single carriageway road and bridge over the Arun closer to Arundel. Highways England is now consulting on three options for the new A27 Arundel Bypass, which aims to rid drivers and Arundel residents of traffic congestion at problematic junctions in the area.

According to Knight Architects, several important factors will be taken into account for the design of the new bridges, including the visual impact of the scheme on panoramic views from the historic town of Arundel, the proximity of the South Downs National Park and that the road crosses a 3km floodplain with a complex hydraulic behaviour.

Highways England has commissioned Knight Architects to work with WSP on the design of the bridges for all three alignment options that it is exploring. This includes seven different bridge types, to be used in 15 structures, including a 1.7km long viaduct, a family of overbridges and two urban footbridges.