The £17.2 million Polegate bypass was officially opened today, ending a 30-year traffic headache.

The 1.5 mile road, which is the missing link between the A22 Eastbourne to London road and the A27 towards Lewes, was opened to traffic by Highways Agency chief executive Tim Matthews.

The stretch of road will join with the recently-extended stretch of the A22 to create a direct route to Eastbourne.

Mr Matthews said at the opening ceremony: "The bypass will bring major benefits to the residents of Polegate as well as to road users.

"The new road will cut congestion and improve road safety by removing two-thirds of the 18,000 vehicles that use the existing road through Polegate every day and provide a much welcomed new route into Eastbourne's regeneration area."

But environment campaigners fear the opening of the bypass could be a catalyst for houses being built on greenfield sites.

A spokeswoman for the South East branch of Friends of the Earth said: "We are opposed to road building as a way of solving congestion problems.

"We are calling on the Government to provide better public transport. With more roads you will also get more development."

The bypass was started in September 2000 but work was delayed by poor weather.

Eastbourne MP Nigel Waterson said: "My pleasure is tempered by the fact that these new roads are long overdue, in the case of the Polegate bypass by 30 years or more."

The bypass is part of the Government's £2 billion scheme to improve 53 trunk roads and motorways.