1 July 2012 Last updated at 04:24 ET

West Sussex A23 road widening due to start

Engineering work on a £76.9m scheme to widen the A23 is due to get under way in West Sussex.

The main route between Handcross and Warninglid will be widened to three lanes in each direction.

Roads Minister Mike Penning has said the work will improve journeys and tackle congestion on one of the South East's most important roads.

The site is just south of Gatwick Airport and on the main road between London and Brighton.

Environmental work started on the site in April last year. Site clearance and tree felling started last October.

Public exhibitions to inform local people about the project were held in Handcross earlier this month.

Engineering work on the 2.5-mile stretch of the A23 is due to start on Monday when narrow lanes and a temporary 40mph speed limit will also be enforced.

The Highways Agency said the stretch of road being widened, which is used by 70,000 vehicles a day, was the only unimproved section of the A23 between the M23 and the south coast.