Washington Road, Haywards Heath, is closing in sections to February; Church Lane due to shut 9 to 20 November; A23 Pyecombe slips close overnight 10 November.
In Haywards Heath, Washington Road is closing in sections until 18 February 2027 for new watermains, under an order that began on 3 November, and Oathall Avenue follows from 17 November. The southern end of America Lane stays shut to 20 November and Farlington Avenue’s closure runs to 13 November.
In East Grinstead, Church Lane is due to close from the High Street to St Swithuns Close from 9 to 20 November, and Garland Road is closed to southbound traffic for 40m from the A22 until 10 November. College Lane’s closure between Old Road and De La Warr Road ends on 6 November.
On the A23, the northbound Pyecombe entry slips and the Donkey Island exit and entry slips close from 8pm to 6am on the night of Tuesday 10 November. Just south of the district, the link from the A27 eastbound to the A23 northbound closes from 8pm to 5am on the night of Monday 9 November.
This page tracks what is actually shut in Mid Sussex and what is coming next, on the roads, the footpaths and the railway. It was last checked against the sources on 5 November 2026.
What is closed right now
These are temporary traffic orders West Sussex County Council has published as statutory notices on the Public Notice Portal.
| Road or path | Extent | Closed until | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Farlington Avenue, Haywards Heath | Entire length, in short sections | 13 November | Watermains replacement |
| Bridleway 12Hu, Hurstpierpoint | Bishopstone Lane to Cuckfield Road | Up to six months from 28 September | Broken footbridge |
| Footpath 10-1Ba, Balcombe | Haywards Heath Road to London Road (B2036) | 28 February 2027 | Railway embankment maintenance |
| Footpath 21cEG, East Grinstead | Harwoods Lane to Bridleway BW19cEG | Six months from 29 July, or sooner if repaired | Unsafe footbridge |
All four notices were re-read on the portal on 5 November. Farlington Avenue is ref TTRO-2810-MM, in the county’s notice of 23 July, and the East Grinstead footpath is ref TTRO-2858-MM, in the notice of 30 July. The portal’s record now flags both July notices as expired, but the wording of each order gives the later end date shown above. We could not confirm whether either job has finished early.
The Balcombe footpath is ref TTRO-2861-MM, in the notice of 13 August. That notice says the county intended to make the order, running from 1 September. We have not seen a notice saying it was made.
The Hurstpierpoint bridleway closure comes from the county’s notice of 24 September. It says the county intended to extend an emergency closure from 28 September, for six months or until the footbridge is repaired, whichever is sooner, and the council says no alternative route exists on the rights of way network. Ref TTRO-2896-MM.
America Lane, Haywards Heath: shut to 20 November
The county’s notice of 1 October closed the southern cul-de-sac of America Lane, serving numbers 82 to 114, from 19 October to 20 November for new watermains. The county confirmed the order as made in its notice of 15 October. Access to properties is kept. Ref TTRO-2888-MM.
East Grinstead: Garland Road, and College Lane to 6 November
The county’s notice of 22 October confirms both orders have been made.
| Road | Extent | Dates | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| College Lane, East Grinstead | Old Road northwards to De La Warr Road, closed | 26 October to 6 November | Gas mains replacement |
| Garland Road, East Grinstead | 40m south from the A22 London Road, closed to southbound traffic | 26 October to 10 November | New electricity mains cables |
Diversions are signed on site and access to properties is kept. The refs are TTRO-2894-MM (College Lane) and TTRO-2892-MM (Garland Road).
Next in East Grinstead: Church Lane, 9 to 20 November
The same notice of 22 October says the county intends to close Church Lane from the High Street to St Swithuns Close from 9 to 20 November, again to replace gas mains. Alternative routes will be signed and access to properties kept. Queries go to the county’s contact centre on 01243 642105. Ref TTRO-2891-MM. By 5 November no notice saying this order had been made had appeared on the portal, so treat the dates as the county’s stated intention.
Haywards Heath watermains: Washington Road now, Oathall Avenue from 17 November
The county’s notice of 29 October says it has made the order for the next stage of watermains work in Haywards Heath. Each road closes in sections, with parking suspended and access kept:
| Road | Extent | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Washington Road | Oathall Avenue to the western junction of Penn Crescent | 3 November 2026 to 18 February 2027 |
| Oathall Avenue | Entire length | 17 November 2026 to 9 April 2027 |
| New England Road | Hazelgrove Road to High Trees | 26 July to 3 September 2027 |
Ref TTRO-2911-MM. The order gives the date range for each road, not which section is shut on a given day, and we could not confirm that from a first party source. West Sussex’s roadworks map asks for an account to see its list view.
Two new proposals: Bolney 40mph and an East Grinstead zebra
The same notice of 29 October sets out two permanent orders the county proposes to make. Comments must arrive before 19 November 2026.
- London Road, Bolney: a 40mph limit from 20m south of Magdalene Rise to 50m south of Ryecroft Road. Ref MDS9011-MM.
- Bourg-de-Peage Avenue and Warburton Close, East Grinstead: a new zebra crossing on Bourg-de-Peage Avenue, 20m north of the Warburton Close junction, a raised table on Warburton Close, amended School Keep Clear markings at Estcots Primary and Sackville School, and double yellow lines extended about 5m on both sides of Warburton Close. Ref MDS8017-MM.
The full wording is on the county’s Traffic Regulation Order page, or from its contact centre on 01243 642105.
One more item in the county’s batch of 29 October, an order for Ockenden Lane, Cuckfield (ref TTRO-2895-MM), is printed with a 2023 title and dates of 10 to 16 October 2023. We have not listed it as a closure because the notice does not give a 2026 date.
Balcombe speed limits: the consultation has closed
Comments on the county’s proposed 30mph and 40mph limits on the B2036 London Road at Balcombe (ref MDS2502-MM, in the notice of 24 September) had to arrive before 15 October. No decision notice has appeared on the portal yet. The proposal would extend the 30mph limit south of the village, add a 40mph stretch beyond it, and cut the 50mph limit north of the village to 40mph.
Just outside the district: the A264 Copthorne Way
The county’s notice of 30 September says it has made a 50mph order on the A2011 Crawley Avenue and the A264 Copthorne Way, between the Northgate Avenue roundabout and the A2220 Copthorne Way roundabout. The road is in Crawley, but it is the main route from Copthorne and East Grinstead to the M23. The order:
- came into force on 30 September 2026
- covers road widening and an extra lane on the approach to M23 junction 10
- is expected to stay in force until 5 March 2027
The contractor is Breheny Civil Engineering. This order was not re-read on 5 November.
The A23 at Dale Hill: what the 50mph actually covers
This is the biggest thing on the district’s roads this autumn, and it will not appear on any county roadworks list, because the A23 belongs to National Highways.
The made order of 11 September, ref NH/SE/2026/A23/55, covers junction realignment work at Dale Hill Junction (A281), the turning for Poynings and Devil’s Dyke south of Pyecombe. From the order itself:
- The work is expected to last about two months, starting on or after Monday 21 September.
- The order came into force on 19 September and can run for up to eighteen months, ceasing when the work is complete. The portal’s record for the notice, re-read on 5 November, gives 21 November as its end date, but the notice does not say the work will finish then.
- A 24 hour 50mph limit on the northbound A23, from about 600m south of the centreline of Pangdene Farm overbridge to about 60m east of the Dale Hill Junction (A281) overbridge.
- Overnight closures, 8pm to 6am, of the A23 between Mill Road roundabout and Dale Hill Junction, and of all roads leading to and from that length.
- The roads to and from the northbound A23 at Dale Hill Junction close for 24 hours, not just overnight.
- All lay-bys and bus stops alongside that stretch close for 24 hours.
- The shared use cycle track from Pyecombe street footbridge to West Road roundabout closes overnight, as does the road to the eastbound A27 at Devil’s Dyke interchange (A2038).
- Diversions use the A23, A24, A27, A259, A272 and A283.
One thing changed between the proposal and the order, and it matters if your vehicle is wide. The notice of 27 August proposed “a 24-hour width restriction of 3.25 metres in lane 1 and 3.0 metres in lane 2”. The made order instead imposes “a 24-hour width restriction of 2.3 metres in lane 2”, and sets no limit on lane 1. Both cover the same stretch of northbound carriageway, from about 240m north of Pangdene Farm overbridge to about 990m west of South Downs Way overbridge.
The made order is the operative document. A 2.3m limit is considerably tighter than the 3.0m that was proposed, and it is narrower than many vans are wide once mirrors are counted. We have not seen an explanation for the change published anywhere, and the notice does not give one.
A round the clock 50mph limit and a restricted northbound carriageway, held for two months through the autumn, is the sort of thing that reshapes a Brighton commute.
A23 nights to Tuesday 10 November
The A23 and M23 never appear on county roadworks listings. These come from the National Highways 7 day closure report, the edition covering Wednesday 4 to Tuesday 10 November (last updated 4 November at 15:30), read on 5 November. Slip road names are as the report prints them.
| Night | Closure |
|---|---|
| Mon 9 Nov, 8pm to 5am | A27 eastbound to A23 northbound link road |
| Tue 10 Nov, 8pm to 6am | A23 northbound Pyecombe entry slip |
| Tue 10 Nov, 8pm to 6am | A23 northbound Pyecombe interchange entry slip |
| Tue 10 Nov, 8pm to 6am | A23 northbound Pyecombe services entry slip |
| Tue 10 Nov, 8pm to 6am | A23 northbound Donkey Island exit and entry slips |
Monday’s closure is listed as maintenance on the A27 eastbound from Devils Dyke to Patcham and the A23 northbound from Patcham to Pyecombe. Tuesday’s are listed as maintenance on the A23 northbound from Patcham to Albourne.
The Bolney closures have finished. The northbound slips and the Bolney link road to the Cowfold road were listed for the nights of 2 and 3 November. This edition lists no A23 closure at Bolney from 5 to 10 November, and no A23 or M23 closure at all for the weekend of 7 and 8 November.
Just outside the district:
- The A27 westbound Patcham entry slip closes from 8pm to 6am on the nights of Thursday 5 and Friday 6 November, for electrical works.
- The A23 westbound North Terminal roundabout exit slip at Gatwick closes from 9pm to 6am on the nights of Thursday 5, Friday 6, Monday 9 and Tuesday 10 November, also for electrical works.
- This edition lists no M23 closure, including at junction 10, the turn for Copthorne and East Grinstead.
The Dale Hill exit slip closures are not listed in this edition. The 50mph limit and width restriction described above come from the made order, not this report.
National Highways reissues this report on working days and adds nights between editions.
East Grinstead parking permits went up on 1 October
The county’s 10 September notice raised permit charges in the East Grinstead Controlled Parking Zone from 1 October, without printing the new prices. Mid Sussex District Council has now published them on its parking permits page.
A first resident permit is now £68 a year in Zone A (was £63) and £40 in Zone B (was £37). Visitor permits rose by about 17%, to 70p for two hours. Every old and new price is in our story on the East Grinstead permit rise.
The railway
East Grinstead line, late evenings to Thursday 5 November. National Rail’s notice says all lines between East Croydon and East Grinstead close on the evenings of Monday 2 to Thursday 5 November. The 23:22 from London Victoria terminates at East Croydon, with a rail replacement bus calling at stations to Oxted and East Grinstead. We could not read Southern’s own planned works page on 5 November, so we could not confirm whether any later evenings have been added.
Brighton Main Line, nights of 16 to 20 November. National Rail’s notice says engineering work between Three Bridges and Brighton closes all lines very early on Tuesday to Friday mornings:
- Monday to Wednesday nights: the 23:25 London Victoria to Brighton is diverted via Lewes after Haywards Heath, missing Burgess Hill and Hassocks. A replacement bus runs from Haywards Heath to Brighton, calling at both.
- Tuesday to Thursday nights: the 01:08 Haywards Heath to Eastbourne is cancelled, with buses from Haywards Heath to Lewes and on to Eastbourne. The 00:02 Victoria to Worthing terminates at Three Bridges.
- Thameslink: buses replace trains between Three Bridges and Brighton from about 00:25 to 05:05 on Tuesday to Thursday mornings, and from 01:25 to 05:05 on Friday morning.
- Southern services are not affected on Thursday night into Friday.
Further ahead. Network Rail’s Brighton Main Line page, re-read on 5 November, lists three more closures.
- Sunday 29 November 2026: no trains between Three Bridges and Brighton, Hove or Lewes. Replacement buses run Three Bridges to Preston Park calling at all stations, Three Bridges to Lewes calling at Haywards Heath and Cooksbridge, Balcombe to Brighton calling at all stations, and Haywards Heath to Plumpton and on to Lewes. National Rail adds that direct Victoria to Brighton trains run via Horsham, Littlehampton and Hove, and that buses replace Thameslink between Three Bridges and Brighton all day.
- Sunday 10 January 2027: no trains between Gatwick Airport and Purley or East Croydon. Network Rail now confirms this date on its own page.
- Saturday 13 to Sunday 21 February 2027: a nine day closure over half term, between Three Bridges and Lewes, Brighton or Hove via Haywards Heath. Bus and diversion details are still to come.
The Haywards Heath to Lewes line, closed after a train derailed near Lewes on 13 August, reopened at the start of September. We covered the reopening when trains started running again.
What it means for you
- Using Garland Road or College Lane in East Grinstead: Garland Road is closed to southbound traffic near the A22 to 10 November, and College Lane’s closure ends on 6 November.
- Using Church Lane, East Grinstead: due to shut from the High Street to St Swithuns Close from 9 to 20 November.
- Joining the A23 northbound at Pyecombe on the night of Tuesday 10 November: the entry slips there are shut from 8pm to 6am, and so are the Donkey Island exit and entry slips.
- Going from the A27 eastbound to the A23 northbound on the night of Monday 9 November: the link road is shut from 8pm to 5am.
- Coming home late to East Grinstead on Thursday 5 November: the 23:22 from Victoria stops at East Croydon, with a bus for the rest.
- Living on Washington Road or Oathall Avenue, Haywards Heath: sectional closures and parking suspensions began on Washington Road on 3 November and start on Oathall Avenue on 17 November.
- Living on Farlington Avenue or America Lane, Haywards Heath: the closures run to 13 November and 20 November.
- Taking a late train to Burgess Hill or Hassocks from 16 November: on Monday to Wednesday nights the 23:25 from Victoria skips both, with a bus from Haywards Heath.
- Have a view on Bolney’s 40mph or the Bourg-de-Peage Avenue zebra: comments must reach the county before 19 November.
- Driving to Brighton: the 50mph limit on the northbound A23 at Dale Hill runs around the clock.
- Driving a van or towing: check your width before using lane 2 northbound at Dale Hill. The made order sets the limit at 2.3m.
- Heading for the M23 from Copthorne or East Grinstead: the A264 Copthorne Way is down to 50mph until about March 2027.
- Walking in Hurstpierpoint: Bridleway 12Hu between Bishopstone Lane and Cuckfield Road is shut, with no signed alternative.
The 2026-27 county programme
Beyond the current closures, West Sussex County Council’s Highways, Transport and Planning Delivery Programme 2026-2027 contains 87 schemes inside the Mid Sussex district, of which 17 had not started when the programme was published. It is the council’s own delivery plan, so it is the best guide there is to where the cones will be over the rest of the year.
| Type of work | Schemes |
|---|---|
| Carriageway and footway (resurfacing, patching, micro surfacing, surface dressing) | 38 |
| Bus stop infrastructure (Bus Service Improvement Plan phase 4) | 16 |
| Community highways schemes (crossings, speed limits, footways) | 8 |
| Drainage schemes | 8 |
| Traffic signals | 4 |
| Countryside and rights of way | 4 |
| Structures (bridges and culverts) | 4 |
| Road safety | 2 |
| Other (active travel, transport information, local transport improvement) | 3 |
By parish, East Grinstead has the most work with 15 schemes, then Burgess Hill with 12, Worth with 8, Hassocks with 7 and Haywards Heath with 6.
The pattern worth noticing is drainage. Eight separate drainage schemes for one district is a lot, and the Albourne closure in August was one of them reaching the ground. If your road floods, the county’s own list is the place to check whether anything is planned for it.
The schemes still to start
Listed as pre-construction, meaning designed or awaiting build:
Burgess Hill
- Keymer Road, Clay Hill to Broadlands: major drainage scheme.
- Valebridge Road, Rose Walk to the outfall: major drainage scheme.
- Civic Way: pedestrian crossing near The Martlets, signals upgrade.
- London Road at Maple Drive: signals upgrade.
East Grinstead
- Hazelden Bridge, Imberhorne Lane: structures refurbishment.
- Beeching Way, between Lewes Road and the College Lane flyover: drainage.
- Escots Primary School, Bourg de Peage Avenue: footway and pedestrian improvements.
Haywards Heath and around
- Orchard Close: major drainage scheme.
- Borde Hill Lane (C309): local safety scheme.
- Walstead Culvert, Scaynes Hill Road: structures scheme.
Villages
- Cuckfield Road, Hurstpierpoint: village-wide speed limit improvement.
- Keymer Road, Keymer: speed limit improvement.
- The Street, Albourne, at the Church Lane junction: major drainage.
- Clayton Hill, Pyecombe, at the bridleway crossing by the golf club: footway improvements.
- Turners Hill Road (C319): road safety improvement.
- Brighton Road, Slaugham: bus stop travel information.
- Wallage Lane, Worth: minor drainage.
The last two village entries are the ones that were on the ground in September. The night closures from 15 to 23 September covered both Turners Hill Road and Wallage Lane, which is a useful check on the programme: what is listed there does eventually arrive. A village-wide speed limit scheme at Hurstpierpoint and a major drainage scheme on The Street at Albourne both tend to mean sustained traffic management rather than a couple of nights’ work.
The roads that matter here
Mid Sussex has one strategic road and several pinch points, and knowing which is which tells you where a closure actually hurts.
- The A23 runs north to south through the western half of the district, past Bolney, Warninglid and Handcross, linking the M23 at Pease Pottage to Brighton. It is a National Highways road, so county roadworks listings will not show works on it.
- The A272 crosses the district east to west through Cuckfield and Haywards Heath. When the A23 is shut, this is the road that fills up.
- The A22 and A264 serve East Grinstead, which is the town furthest from the A23 and the one whose traffic has nowhere obvious to divert to.
- The B2036 and B2112 carry the Haywards Heath, Lindfield and Ardingly traffic and are single carriageway throughout.
What parking costs
Mid Sussex District Council runs the pay and display car parks in Burgess Hill, Haywards Heath and East Grinstead. Charges apply 8am to 6pm Monday to Saturday and 9am to 5pm on Sundays and bank holidays, and an hour costs £1.20 in Burgess Hill, £1.30 in Haywards Heath and £1.40 in East Grinstead.
Full tariffs for all three towns, the short stay trap that adds up to £2.80 to an all-day stay, season ticket prices, the East Grinstead resident permit zones, blue badge rules and station parking are on our parking in Mid Sussex page. It also covers the permanent closure of Burgess Hill’s Martlets multi-storey in March 2026.
Checking what is closed today
- Public Notice Portal carries the county council’s statutory traffic orders in full: exact extent, dates, reason and reference. It is the primary record and the source for the closures listed above. Search on a full postcode.
- National Highways publishes the 7 day closure report as a spreadsheet, reissued daily. This is where A23 and M23 closures appear, and nowhere else.
- West Sussex roadworks and projects carries the council’s own announcements of larger schemes.
- Southern service updates for the rail position.
Two limits on this page are worth stating. one.network, which West Sussex links to as its roadworks map, asks for an account to see the list view. And statutory notices roll off the Public Notice Portal’s live listing after about a month, so a long closure notified in July cannot be re-read in September. Where that applies above, we have said so.
Utility works are the ones that catch people out. They can be booked at short notice and they are not in any council delivery programme. The watermains work in Haywards Heath is exactly that shape: three separate roads, each with its own order, appearing a few weeks apart.
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