Highways officials have unveiled controversial plans to ease one of the South's biggest bottlenecks after a bypass scheme was shelved.

Thousands of motorists get caught in jams on the A27 and there was uproar when the Government said it was not going to press ahead with a Lancing and Worthing bypass.

Streets in Offington and Broadwater have been turned into rat runs by drivers trying to avoid the jams.

Now the Highways Agency has drawn up six schemes to make the A27 between Worthing and Lancing safer and to improve traffic flow.

They include new traffic lights, plus the marking out of two additional lanes to each link road around the Grove Lodge roundabout.

Signs will alert drivers to decreasing speed limits as they approach Worthing and Lancing.

Two Puffin crossings will be installed either side of the junction with Salvington Hill and Durrington Hill.

Traffic lights at the junction with Sompting Road and Lyons Way will be upgraded, and traffic lights improved at the junction of Upper Brighton Road and Busticle Lane.

Details of proposed improvements go on display at Broadwater Parish Rooms, Broadwater Street West, on Friday, from 2pm to 6pm, and on Saturday, from 9.30am to 1pm.

They will be in Durrington Community Centre until noon on Friday.

Wednesday November 26, 2003