The A27 Southwick Hill tunnel shuts overnight to Thursday 29 October; Elm Grove at Queens Park Road closes from 2 November to February 2027 for a new junction.

The A27 shuts in both directions through the Southwick Hill tunnel every night from tonight, Monday 26 October, to Thursday 29 October, between Hangleton and Holmbush, from 8pm. National Highways lists the work as tunnel maintenance, with traffic diverted on local roads. Westbound reopens at 6am each morning; eastbound reopens at 6am after Monday and Tuesday nights, and at midnight after Wednesday and Thursday nights.

From Monday 2 November, the Elm Grove and Queens Park Road junction closes for a rebuild, with completion anticipated by 28 February 2027. Elm Grove shuts for about 120 metres either side of the junction, and Bernard Road, Totland Road and Sandown Road are closed where they meet it. We have the detail in a separate story: Elm Grove junction closes for four months.

Still in force: Bedford Street in Kemptown is closed for its full length until about 15 January 2027, and Western Road’s rebuild keeps 16 bus routes off Norfolk Square and Brunswick Place until 6 November, with a Red Route from Monday 9 November.

Below: what is shut now, what starts in the next fortnight, and the live maps to check on the day.

Diagram of Brighton's three key routes: the A27 bypass across the top of the city, the A23 London Road running south into the centre, and the A259 along the seafront, with Valley Gardens Phase 3 works where the A23 meets the sea at the Palace Pier junction

Western Road: where the buses go until 6 November

Brighton & Hove Buses has reissued its Western Road notice, now dated 1 October to 6 November 2026. It says that “due to essential roadworks on Western Road, we will be unable to serve Norfolk Square and Brunswick Place in both directions. The nearest alternative stops are Palmeira Square and Waitrose.” The Montpelier Road stop is also suspended, on route 21 only (Brighton & Hove Buses service updates).

The operator lists 16 affected routes: 1, 1X, 2, 5, 5A, 5B, 6, 21, 25, 46, 49, 60, 71, 71A, N1 and N5. The reissued notice no longer sets out the street-by-street diversion; it says only that “due to the size and turning requirements of buses, only certain roads can be used as a diversion”. Allow extra time.

The current notice adds two more changes. Route 1X cannot serve the Churchill Square stop towards Mile Oak, because its buses divert up Dyke Road. Route 49 journeys that normally end at Palmeira Square now terminate at Imperial Arcade and restart at Churchill Square.

Two other long-running bus changes sit near the works. The eastbound Westbourne Villas stop, towards Whitehawk and the town centre, has been moved to a temporary stop outside the Hove Museum of Creativity since 1 May. The Upper Gloucester Road stop towards Hollingdean has been out of use since 24 June “until further notice”; use Buckingham Road or Brighton Station stop B4.

The council has still not published its own phasing plan or closure points for the works. Its August release promised details of traffic management and access “before work starts”, and none had appeared on its website when we searched again on 20 October. The bus operator’s notice and the two traffic orders below are the only public documents on the works themselves.

The Red Route starts on Monday 9 November. The council has published an experimental order, TRO-21-2026, that brings in a red route, meaning no stopping or waiting at any time, on Western Road between Holland Road and Montpelier Road, with new loading and disabled parking bays. It is open for comments until Sunday 9 May 2027 (current traffic regulation orders, notice).

Bus diversions starting in the next fortnight

Brighton & Hove Buses lists these changes in Brighton and Hove, mostly for roadworks (service updates, checked 26 October):

Dates Where What changes
From Saturday 24 October, no end date given Brighton Marina, “a road blockage” Routes 1X, 7, 21, 23, 47 and 52 terminate and restart at the Waterfront stop outside the Malmaison Hotel; Brighton Marina and Marina Cinema stops are not served.
From Wednesday 21 October, no end date given Princes Crescent, roadworks Routes 20, 26, 46 and Breeze 79: the stop is suspended in both directions; use Springfield Road or Bromley Road.
To Monday 26 October Surrenden Road, closed southbound Routes 5B and N5 towards Hangleton miss Varndean College, Surrenden Holt, Loder Road and St Mary’s Church: use Braybon Avenue Top or Beaconsfield Villas Top.
Saturday 24 to Thursday 29 October Nevill Avenue, roadworks Route 3X: the Greyhound Stadium stop towards Hangleton is suspended; westbound buses serve Hove Park Tavern.
To Friday 30 October Goldstone Villas, closed southbound Routes 7 and 21 miss the southbound Hove Station stop (use Eaton Gardens or George Street), and the 3X towards Hangleton misses Hove Station (use Livingstone Road). On 29 and 30 October the 3X towards Brighton University misses it too.
Sunday 25 October to Monday 2 November Court Farm Road, roadworks Route 5B: the Court Farm Road stop towards Hangleton is suspended; use Nevill Way or St Peters Church.

The operator’s Marina notice gives no cause beyond “a road blockage”, and no council order for the Marina roads is on the Public Notice Portal. The Station Road stop in Portslade and the two Tisbury Road stops in Hove have dropped off the operator’s list since our last check, so they should be back in use.

No council traffic order for Surrenden Road, Goldstone Villas or Court Farm Road was on the Public Notice Portal on 26 October, so the bus operator is the only published source for them.

Twelve streets are now two-way for Western Road

A temporary order made on 7 September suspends the one-way orders on twelve streets around Western Road, so that traffic can move in both directions while the road is dug up. The order came into force on 28 September 2026 and is anticipated to be complete by 6 November 2026. The council republished the notice on 21 September (temporary traffic order).

The streets that become two-way are:

  • Lansdowne Street
  • Brunswick Street West
  • Farm Road
  • Brunswick Street East, between Lower Market Street and Western Road
  • Waterloo Street
  • Brunswick Road
  • Little Western Street, between Norfolk Place and Western Road
  • Norfolk Square, both sides of the green
  • Norfolk Square, from Bedford Place
  • Bedford Place
  • Borough Street
  • Norfolk Road

Pedestrian access is to be maintained and a signed diversion route will be in place for vehicles. The bus operator’s notice and the traffic order both give 6 November as the end date. The council’s August announcement said only “about 45 days” of phased closures. We have covered the works in full: Western Road Brighton, phased closures from 28 September. Cabinet has also approved a Red Route for the rebuilt road: what was decided.

If you live on one of those twelve streets, the change is physical. A road you have driven one way for years now takes oncoming traffic. Junctions you have always pulled out of without looking both ways will need looking both ways.

Loading and Blue Badge bays are suspended from 5 October. A second order, made on 25 September, suspends the loading bays on Lansdowne Road (opposite the Church Road junction) and Lansdowne Place (about 10 metres from Western Road), and the disabled bays on Holland Road, Lansdowne Road and Cambridge Road close to their junctions with Western Road. It runs from 5 October to 6 November 2026, “for safety whilst the reconstruction of Western Road takes place”. The council says alternative loading and disabled bays will be provided as displayed on site (temporary traffic order, made 25 September 2026).

The seafront: two schemes due to start this autumn

The council announced both at the end of September. Neither announcement gives a start date beyond “the coming weeks”. Neither had a traffic order on the Public Notice Portal when we checked again on 20 October, so no lane closure on the A259 or King’s Road has been published yet.

A259 Hove to Portslade Active Travel Scheme. Work “is set to begin in the coming weeks” on the A259 between Fourth Avenue and the city’s western boundary (council, 30 September 2026). What it will build:

  • a separated two-way cycle lane
  • new pavements and bus stops
  • safer, better aligned crossings and junctions
  • new loading bays and disabled parking bays

The first section is Fourth Avenue to Hove Street. The council says access to homes and businesses will be kept open throughout, and the contractor will contact occupants before working directly outside a property. The contractor is Edburton, according to the scheme page. The scheme page says work “began in September 2026”, starting with realigning the Hove Street junction and preparing the locations for new traffic lights. It then lists widening the pavement and shortening the crossing where Albany Villas meets the A259, with Medina Villas next. The site compound is in Hove Beach Park, opposite Westbourne Villas. The work schedule still read “coming soon” on 20 October, and the page mentions no road or lane closures. Newsletters come from transport.projects@brighton-hove.gov.uk, with “A259 Hove to Portslade” in the subject line.

King’s Road arches, Bandstand to The Seahorse. Construction on the next phase of the arches rebuild is due to start “in the next couple of weeks” (council, 28 September 2026). A work compound has been built west of the Bandstand and the area round the arches is fenced off. The council’s project page says King’s Road carries more than 25,000 vehicles and 2,100 cyclists a day on average. It also says phase 4, between the Bandstand and the i360, needs the King’s Road paddling pool area closed while it runs. We covered the pool’s closure in August: the council’s search for a partner. The project page gives no start date for the phase, and the council has not published any lane closures on King’s Road for it.

Closures now in force, and the next to start

Where What From Expected until
Elm Grove and Queens Park Road junction, Brighton, plus Bernard Road, Totland Road and Sandown Road at Elm Grove Roads closed, junction redesign; Totland Road one-way suspended 2 November 2026 28 February 2027
Bedford Street, Brighton (Kemptown), entire length Road closed, gas mains replacement 19 October 2026 15 January 2027
Palmeira Place, Hove, from Lorna Road southwards for about 23 metres Road closure from 26 October, UK Power Networks electricity supply work 26 October 2026 3 November 2026
Nevill Avenue, Hove, westbound from number 202 to Hangleton Road Road closed westbound, gas governor replacement 5 October 2026 13 November 2026
Old Farm Road, Brighton, from Graham Avenue to Braybon Avenue Road closed, gas mains replacement 21 September 2026 2 November 2026
Applesham Way, Portslade, from Old Shoreham Road to Melrose Avenue Road closed, gas mains replacement 21 September 2026 26 October 2026 (today)
Mill Road, Waterhall Road to the Dyke Road Avenue roundabout, and Waterhall Road Closed for the primary schools cross country, 11am to 4pm 11 November 2026 11 November 2026
Walpole Road, Brighton, eastern kerb line Loading bay and about 25 metres of permit or pay-by-phone bays suspended 16 September 2026 15 February 2028

Elm Grove is announced. The council gave notice on 21 October that it intends to make an order closing Elm Grove for about 120 metres in both directions from its junction with Queens Park Road, and Queens Park Road for about 100 metres from the same junction. Bernard Road, Totland Road and Sandown Road close where they meet Elm Grove, and Totland Road’s one-way order is suspended for its full length so residents can get in and out. The order comes into force on 2 November “to allow contractors to carry out junction redesign works”, with completion anticipated by 28 February 2027. Pedestrian access is kept and a diversion signed (council notice, 21 October 2026). Brighton & Hove Buses had published no diversion for it on 26 October.

Mill Road on 11 November. The council intends to close Mill Road from Waterhall Road to the Dyke Road Avenue roundabout, and to bar unauthorised vehicles from Waterhall Road, from 11am to 4pm on Wednesday 11 November for the Brighton & Hove primary schools cross country event. Residents may be let through at the direction of event officials (council notice, 21 October 2026).

Bedford Street is confirmed. The council made the order on 14 October, and it came into force on Monday 19 October. It closes the whole of Bedford Street in Kemptown for gas mains replacement, with completion anticipated by 15 January 2027. Pedestrian access is kept and a diversion is signed (notice of the made order, 16 October 2026). That is about three months: plan around it rather than through it.

Palmeira Place is confirmed. The council made the order on 14 October. It closes the short stretch of Palmeira Place from Lorna Road southwards, about 23 metres, from Monday 26 October, for UK Power Networks to alter an electricity supply, with completion anticipated by 3 November. Pedestrian access is kept and a diversion signed (notice of the made order, 16 October 2026).

Nevill Avenue is confirmed. The council made the order on 30 September, and it came into force on 5 October. Only westbound traffic is stopped, from outside number 202 to the Hangleton Road junction. Pedestrian access stays open and a diversion is signed. The notice spells the road “Neville Avenue” (temporary traffic order, made 30 September 2026).

The council made both gas mains orders on 16 September, so Applesham Way and Old Farm Road are confirmed rather than proposed (Applesham Way, Old Farm Road). The Walpole Road suspension is for the redevelopment of the Convent Boarding House for Brighton College. Its anticipated end date is 15 February 2028, so treat that parking as gone rather than briefly unavailable (council order, 16 September 2026).

Applesham Way is due to reopen after today, Monday 26 October, and Old Farm Road after Monday 2 November, if the gas works finish on time. The council does not publish completion notices, so these are anticipated dates, not confirmed reopenings.

Sussex County Cricket Club fireworks, Saturday 7 November. The council intends to close Eaton Road, Hove, between Wilbury Road and Salisbury Road, from 5pm to 8pm so that the crowd can leave the ground safely. The order is proposed, not yet made (council notice).

Still closed: the long-running orders

This is one of the council’s temporary orders under section 14 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, which is the formal record of what is shut. Such orders run “for eighteen months or until such sooner time as the works are completed”, so the date to plan around is the anticipated finish, not the legal maximum.

  • Carden Crescent, Peacock Lane and Hallett Road (Patcham and Hanover). Carden Crescent is closed southbound at Carden Avenue. Peacock Lane is closed from Woodland Way to outside number 56, with its one-way order suspended so residents can get in and out. Hallett Road is closed from Pankhurst Road to Elm Grove. In force since 3 August 2026 for gas main replacement, anticipated to finish 16 November 2026 (temporary traffic order, made 29 July 2026).

The order no longer appears in the Public Notice Portal’s current list, because notices roll off a few weeks after publication. That is not a reopening: the anticipated end date is still ahead, and no completion notice has been published.

Parking orders you can still object to

The council’s list of traffic regulation orders was checked again on 26 October 2026. The orders still open for comment are:

  • Sutherland Road, Brighton (TRO-22-2026), new, closes Friday 13 November. The order changes the shared parking bays and double yellow lines on both sides of Sutherland Road to fit a new road layout. The council’s statement of reasons says the layout change is so that a School Crossing Patrol Officer can work safely at the start and end of the school day (council notice, 23 October 2026, statement of reasons).

  • Western Road Red Route (TRO-21-2026), starts Monday 9 November, comments until Sunday 9 May 2027. An experimental order: no stopping or waiting at any time between Holland Road and Montpelier Road, with new loading and disabled bays (see the Western Road section above).

  • Four tidying-up orders (TRO-13a to TRO-13d-2026), close Friday 30 October 2026. They consolidate the wording of the city’s parking orders, including the Coldean and Moulsecoomb event-day order, and fold in the 2013 ban on stopping and waiting on verges and footways. The council says the changes “are administrative in nature and will not result in any changes to the restrictions as they currently operate on the ground” (council notice, 9 October 2026).
  • Stroudley Road, Brighton (TRO-17-2025 and TRO-17a-2025), closes Monday 30 November 2026. An experimental order making Stroudley Road one way northbound from the roundabout, adding public service vehicle stands and accessible parking, and amending the parking restrictions (current traffic regulation orders).

Closed and awaiting a decision:

  • Citywide parking changes (TRO-20a-2026 and TRO-20b-2026), closed Friday 16 October 2026. Two orders dated 25 September change bays and yellow lines on dozens of streets, inside and outside the controlled parking zones. New double yellow lines are proposed on eleven roads outside the zones, including Hollingbury Rise, Hangleton Valley Drive and Stanmer Villas (TRO-20-2026 notice).
  • New Church Road, Hove (TRO-19-2026), closed Friday 9 October 2026. To relocate a bus stop, shared permit and paid parking would be removed between Pembroke Avenue and Pembroke Gardens. The bus stop east of Westbourne Gardens would be removed and the double yellow lines reinstated (council notice, 18 September 2026).

Greenways, Rottingdean and West Saltdean ward: no overnight campervan parking, now permanent. The council made an order on 7 October that came into operation on 12 October. It makes permanent the experimental ban on motor caravans waiting between 8pm and 8am on a section of the west side of Greenways, first introduced in July 2025 (council notice, 9 October 2026).

Seafront parking: Dukes Mound and Madeira Drive (TRO-18-2026), consultation closed 2 October, not yet sealed. The council’s list now shows it as closed for comments, with no decision published. The proposal would:

  • remove the existing single yellow lines in Dukes Mound and replace them with either double yellow lines or paid parking bays operating 9am to 8pm, Monday to Sunday
  • convert a section of paid coach parking on Madeira Drive to paid parking bays on the same 9am to 8pm, seven-day basis
  • amend the single yellow line restriction on Madeira Drive to the same hours
  • change the tariff on Madeira Drive east of Arch 87, and in New Steine, from a seasonal tariff to an all-year tariff

The council’s statement of reasons says the aim is to manage road space, keep traffic flowing and provide passing places, and on Madeira Drive to give visitors to nearby businesses and attractions convenient parking (TRO-18-2026 notice).

Surrenden Road, outside Varndean College (TRO-15-2026), in force from 5 October. The council made the order on 30 September. It amends the parking, waiting and loading restrictions on Surrenden Road outside the college and north of Surrenden Holt to allow new buildouts and pedestrian crossing improvements, and bans loading on both sides of the college access road (council notice, 2 October 2026).

TRO-10-2026 is in force. Sealed on 2 September and effective from 7 September, it reduces parking bays and paints double yellow lines beside communal refuse and recycling bins in controlled parking zone R, at Westbourne Gardens, and at Portland Road and Rutland Gardens, so the bin lorries can reach them (council notice, 4 September 2026). The parking in Brighton page explains the zones and tariffs.

A259 seafront cycle lane: the survey has closed

The council opened a six-week consultation on 14 September on the next phases of the A259 Active Travel Scheme, covering the seafront between Fourth Avenue in Hove and West Street in Brighton. The proposal replaces the existing separate cycle lanes with one two-way cycle lane separated from both traffic and pedestrians, plus new pavements, safer crossings and junctions, new loading and disabled bays, and extra parking around Hove Lawns, the Bandstand, Shelter Hall, the i360 and the Brighton Centre. Design work is funded by £780,000 from Active Travel England, within almost £4 million of Department for Transport funding over four years. Councillor Trevor Muten, cabinet member for transport and city infrastructure, said “the current layout of the cycle lanes is confusing and we can do much better” (council, 14 September 2026). Responses go through the council’s Your Voice platform, where the survey phase ran to 25 October 2026. It has now closed; the council has not said when it will publish the results.

Aldrington and Nevill: a parking zone is being scoped

The council held an early drop-in on 29 September for residents and businesses in Aldrington, Orchards, Nevill and Goldstone Valley, before any scheme exists. Any controlled parking scheme that follows would go through its own formal consultation (council, 7 September 2026).

The A27 and A23: this week’s overnight closures

National Highways’ current closure report runs from Friday 23 to Thursday 29 October 2026. These are the closures on the roads around Brighton from tonight:

Night Road What closes Hours
Monday 26 and Tuesday 27 October A27 both directions Hangleton to Holmbush, main carriageway (Southwick Hill tunnel) 8pm to 6am
Wednesday 28 and Thursday 29 October A27 westbound Hangleton to Holmbush, main carriageway 8pm to 6am
Wednesday 28 and Thursday 29 October A27 eastbound Holmbush to Hangleton, main carriageway 8pm to midnight

The Southwick Hill closures are for tunnel maintenance, with a diversion “via local authority network”, meaning council roads rather than the trunk road. National Highways does not publish the signed route in the report, so allow extra time after 8pm if you drive west from Hove or Portslade.

Last week’s nightly closures of the A23 northbound exit at Dale Hill and the weekend’s A27 westbound Falmer to Coldean closures have finished, and neither is on this week’s report. The Dale Hill closures belong to a longer carriageway renewal scheme, which National Highways lists as covering the A23 northbound from Patcham to Pyecombe and the A27 in both directions from Adur to Patcham, so expect more nights on this stretch through the autumn.

The report lists closures only. A daytime lane closure or a speed limit with the road left open would not appear in it.

All of the above come from the National Highways 7-day closure report, dated 23 October and downloaded on 26 October 2026. It is republished regularly and the old file keeps serving stale data, so go to the page rather than a saved link.

The Veteran Car Run, Sunday 1 November

National Highways has now made its order for the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run on Sunday 1 November. It comes into force on 31 October for up to three days, and the closures run between 6am and 9pm at most. It will:

  • close the slip road from the A23 northbound at Pyecombe Interchange (A273) in the daytime
  • impose an 11-hour 50mph and then 40mph limit on the A23 southbound from just south of the South Downs Way bridge at Pyecombe, and a 40mph limit on the A273 southbound where it merges with the A23
  • close both lay-bys on that stretch

Traffic for the A273 beyond Pyecombe village will go north to Muddleswood (B2117) and come back on the B2117, B2116 and A273. Traffic for Pyecombe village only will turn at Dale Hill, and the side road serving homes beside the slip road stays open under gated control (notice of the made order NH/SE/2026/A23/71, 22 October 2026).

West Sussex County Council has given notice of its own order for the same day. From 7am to 5pm on Sunday 1 November, it intends to close Clayton Hill (A273) at Pyecombe to northbound traffic from Underhill Lane southwards to School Lane, with a 30mph limit. It also closes the B2115 Cuckfield Road and the B2036 High Street at Cuckfield to northbound traffic. Access to homes on the closed stretches is kept (West Sussex County Council notice, 15 October 2026).

The 50mph limit at Coldean was for the festival

National Highways made an order imposing a 24-hour 50mph speed restriction on the A27 between Coldean and Falmer from 24 September 2026, “in the interests of road safety during the Stanmer Park Beyond Boundaries Festival and before and after as necessary” (notice of the made order NH/SE/2026/A27/66). The council’s own festival order covered Saturday 26 September only (council notice, Boundary Festival). National Highways has not published a date for removing the signs, so we cannot confirm whether the limit is still posted.

The other long-running National Highways order on this stretch is at the eastern end. A temporary order in force since 11 April 2026 allows overnight closures of the A27 eastbound between Falmer Interchange and Ashcombe Roundabout, with a 24-hour 50mph limit, while contractors build a Greggs drive-thru at the Esso service station. The notice put the main works at about a month, and no closure on that stretch is on this week’s closure report, but the order itself runs for up to eighteen months (notice NH/SE/2026/A27/26).

Match days at the Amex

The next game at the American Express Stadium is the men’s team against Brentford at 2pm on Sunday 8 November, moved from the Saturday, according to East Sussex County Council’s match-day notice. Its restrictions in Falmer village (The Drove, Village Way, Ridge Road, Park Street and nearby streets) apply from four hours before kick-off until two hours after the final whistle; residents’ access is not affected (East Sussex County Council notice, 16 October 2026). The Brighton & Hove council’s match-day notice, dated 8 October, lists 8, 15, 26 and 29 November and 10, 13 and 19 December (council notice, 8 October 2026, club fixtures).

On match days two roads close under standing orders rather than one-off notices. Mill Road is closed to through traffic for up to eight hours and made one way south-westwards, over 1,480 metres from a point 20 metres south-west of the south-western kerbline of Waterhall Road, with access to Mill House and Patcham Mill via that one-way system. Woollards Way is closed to through traffic and made one way south-westwards at the Lewes Road slip road and underpass. An alternative route is signposted, and pedestrian access is not affected.

Trains: West Coastway buses this week, Brighton to Lewes shut on 1 November

The railway between Haywards Heath and Lewes reopened on 1 September, three weeks after the derailment of a London Victoria to Eastbourne service near Lewes on 13 August. We have covered the first findings: what the RAIB found.

This week:

  • Monday 26 to Friday 30 October: Havant resignalling closes the lines west of Chichester. Buses replace Southern trains between Chichester and Havant, Portsmouth Harbour and Southampton Central, and Chichester to Brighton trains run to an amended timetable (National Rail).
  • The overnight replacement buses between Three Bridges and Brighton, and the diverted late trains via Haywards Heath, ended with last week’s works.

The next fortnight:

  • Saturday 31 October: Gatwick Express runs between Victoria and Brighton to an amended timetable with longer journeys (National Rail).
  • Sunday 1 November: all lines between Brighton and Lewes close, and buses replace trains, with a mix of direct buses and buses calling at all stations. Victoria to Brighton trains are diverted via Hove on a slightly amended timetable, and call additionally at Wivelsfield, Preston Park and Hove; fewer trains run between Brighton and Hove (National Rail). That is also Veteran Car Run day.
  • Monday 2 November: the 04:12 Thameslink from Brighton to Bedford starts from Haywards Heath at 04:26, with a bus from Brighton at 03:41. The 04:58 Gatwick Airport to Brighton does not run; a bus leaves Gatwick at 04:04 instead (National Rail).
  • Thursday 5 November, Lewes Bonfire night: trains will not stop at Falmer, Lewes, Cooksbridge, Glynde or Southease from 5pm until the start of service on Friday 6 November, according to Brighton & Hove Buses’ notice for the night. Its Regency routes 28, 29 and 29A are diverted round Lewes from 4.45pm to 2am (Brighton & Hove Buses).

Further ahead, Network Rail lists three more Brighton Main Line closures:

  • Sunday 29 November 2026: no trains between Brighton, Lewes or Hove and Three Bridges, with the same replacement buses and diverted train as the October weekend.
  • Sunday 10 January 2027: no trains between Gatwick Airport and Purley or East Croydon.
  • Saturday 13 to Sunday 21 February 2027: a nine-day closure between Three Bridges and Brighton, Hove and Lewes via Haywards Heath, timed for the half-term holidays.

The trains to London page covers the normal timetable and fares.

What has finished

Valley Gardens Phase 3 is complete. The council officially opened it on Friday 16 October by switching on the Victoria Fountain in the Old Steine. The £12.8 million phase replaced the Aquarium roundabout by the Palace Pier with a signal-controlled junction and added 500 metres of separated cycle lane down to the seafront (council, 16 October 2026). Our story has the detail: Valley Gardens Phase 3 opens.

The A23 Active Travel scheme, the segregated cycle lanes and new crossings on London Road and Preston Road between Argyle Road and Preston Drove, was completed in July 2025, funded by £909,000 from the Department for Transport’s Active Travel Fund (council scheme page). The corridor now forms part of National Cycle Network Route 20.

Two October closures have passed their anticipated end dates: Tongdean Avenue at number 61, for a sewer connection (due to end 17 October, made order), and the Western Esplanade cycle lane in Hove from the King Alfred Leisure Centre to Hove Street, for a new electricity supply (due to reopen 14 October, order). The bus operator’s Furze Hill diversion for route 21 ended on 20 October, and the night stop suspensions at Olive Road on Portland Road and Chailey Avenue on Marine Drive ended on 23 October. The weekend closure of London Victoria on 17 and 18 October is over.

Three short closures from the summer have passed their anticipated end dates and dropped off the Public Notice Portal: Walpole Road at Eastern Road (electricity connection, due to finish 28 August), the Old Shoreham Road, Boundary Road and Hangleton Road gas mains closures (due 1 September) and Rudyard Road in Woodingdean (UK Power Networks substation, due 4 September). No completion notice is published for any of them, so treat the reopenings as expected rather than confirmed.

The resurfacing and drainage programme between Patcham Interchange and Lewes Road, which brought overnight closures and a daytime 50mph limit in 2025, is not on the current closure report and should not be planned around.

The key routes, and how to check live

Brighton’s road network reduces to three lines. The A23 London Road feeds everything from the north and is the route the park-and-walk driver cares about. The A27 bypass carries through traffic across the top of the city between Hove, Patcham, Coldean and Falmer, and when it closes, its traffic lands on city streets. The A259 seafront road links Hove, the piers and the Marina, slows to a crawl on any sunny weekend, and closes outright for events.

For what is dug up on the day:

If you are driving in regardless, park once and walk: the parking in Brighton page sets out the car parks, the controlled zones and the seafront meter rates, and the bin collection days page tells you which morning the kerbside will be full of bins on your street.

Frequently asked questions

Which buses are diverted away from Western Road?

Sixteen routes: 1, 1X, 2, 5, 5A, 5B, 6, 21, 25, 46, 49, 60, 71, 71A, N1 and N5. Norfolk Square and Brunswick Place are not served in either direction; use Palmeira Square or Waitrose instead. Route 21 also misses the Montpelier Road stop. The operator’s notice runs to 6 November 2026 (Brighton & Hove Buses).

When does Western Road reopen?

Work started on Monday 28 September between Holland Road and Montpelier Road. The council’s temporary traffic order gives an anticipated completion date of 6 November 2026, and the bus diversion runs to the same date (temporary traffic order).

What is closed in Hove this week?

Nevill Avenue is closed westbound from number 202 to Hangleton Road until about 13 November. Western Road’s twelve side streets are two-way and its bus stops at Norfolk Square and Brunswick Place are not served until 6 November. Palmeira Place is closed south of Lorna Road from 26 October to about 3 November, and Goldstone Villas southbound to 30 October, when buses miss Hove Station. At night, the A27 is shut between Hangleton and Holmbush from 8pm to Thursday 29 October (Nevill Avenue, Brighton & Hove Buses, Palmeira Place, National Highways).

When does Elm Grove close?

From Monday 2 November 2026, for a rebuild of its junction with Queens Park Road. The council’s notice anticipates completion by 28 February 2027. Elm Grove closes for about 120 metres either side of the junction, Queens Park Road for about 100 metres, and Bernard, Totland and Sandown Roads at Elm Grove (council notice).

How long is Bedford Street closed?

Until about 15 January 2027. The council’s order closes the whole of Bedford Street in Kemptown for gas mains replacement; it was made on 14 October and came into force on 19 October 2026. Pedestrian access is kept and a diversion signed (notice of the made order).

Is the A27 closed at Brighton this week?

Only overnight. The A27 closes in both directions between Hangleton and Holmbush, through the Southwick Hill tunnel, from 8pm on Monday 26 to Thursday 29 October. Westbound reopens at 6am each morning; eastbound reopens at 6am on Tuesday and Wednesday and at midnight on the last two nights (National Highways).

Is seafront parking changing on Madeira Drive?

It is proposed and waiting for a decision. TRO-18-2026 would convert a section of paid coach parking to paid parking bays operating 9am to 8pm seven days a week, apply the same hours to the single yellow line, and switch the tariff east of Arch 87 and in New Steine from seasonal to all-year. Objections closed on 2 October 2026 and the order has not been sealed (council notice).

Are trains to Eastbourne running normally again?

Yes in the daytime. The Haywards Heath to Lewes line reopened on 1 September. On Sunday 1 November buses replace trains between Brighton and Lewes all day (National Rail).

Are trains running between Brighton and London this weekend?

Yes, with changes. On Saturday 31 October Gatwick Express runs to an amended timetable with longer journeys. On Sunday 1 November the line between Brighton and Lewes is shut, and Victoria to Brighton trains are diverted via Hove, calling additionally at Wivelsfield, Preston Park and Hove (National Rail). No full closure between Brighton and Three Bridges is booked before Sunday 29 November (Network Rail).

Is the Palace Pier roundabout being removed?

It has gone. Valley Gardens Phase 3 replaced the roundabout with a signal-controlled junction with pedestrian and cycle crossings, and the council officially opened the finished phase on 16 October 2026 (council announcement).

Does Brighton have a park and ride?

No permanent park and ride operates in the city. The practical alternatives are the station car parks along the main line and coastway and the city centre car parks, which are cheapest booked or off-peak.

Sources

Roadworks change week to week. The evergreen sections above outlast any one scheme; check the live maps on the day you travel. Bus changes, National Highways closures, rail notices and council orders checked on 26 October 2026.