Work has started to reopen one lane of traffic following a landslide which has left a road closed for almost four months.
Giant concrete blocks were spotted being lifted into place on the A29 near Pulborough on Tuesday morning, as West Sussex County Council pledged to reopen one lane of the road to traffic.
This comes after a landslide occured on the road on December 28, at one of its narrowest parts. It is flanked by steep embankments on both sides, so the decision was made to close the road for safety reasons.
The blocks will be used to create a single-lane carriageway down the centre of the road, with works expected to take around two weeks to complete.
The steep embankment is privately owned on both sides, and West Sussex County Council initially rejected calls to reopen the road with a single lane.
But, as an agreement with the landowners appeared less likely, the decision was made to implement a one-lane system.
Residents and motorists alike have shared their frustration that the road has been closed for so long, however the director of highways for West Sussex County Council, Matt Davey, said: "The council has offered to undertake the works on the private land to reopen the road to one-lane traffic.
“We have been optimistic about reaching an agreement with the landlords.
“Unfortunately, we have been unable to reach an agreement with the two landowners and are left with no choice but to utilise our statutory powers to require the landowners to do the works at their expense so that we can open the road.
“We are continuing our dialogue with the landowners in the hope that an agreement can be reached and would urge the landowners to be pragmatic in their approach to those discussions.”
But nearby residents have said the works are "beyond shambolic".
Matthew Hennings, managing director of Hennings Wine Merchants in Pulborough said: "Footfall to our shop is 20 per cent down and our drivers are needing to spend a lot longer navigating unsuitable roads to get in and out of our warehouse.
"It is dangerous and unacceptable that this has gone on for so long.
"We need the road open to two-way traffic within the two weeks promised – creating a one-way solution with traffic lights would harm our businesses even more."
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