Hamsey Road at Barcombe is set to reopen around early October, ten weeks after culvert repairs began on 27 July. It has been closed since 10 December.

Hamsey Road at Barcombe, closed since 10 December 2025 after a culvert collapsed and opened a large void in the carriageway, finally has an end in sight: East Sussex Highways began the repair on Monday 27 July and expects the work to take around ten weeks, which points to a reopening around early October.

The road has now been shut for eight months, severing the direct lane between Barcombe and Hamsey and forcing local traffic onto a long way round. The repair, carried out by Balfour Beatty for East Sussex County Council under permit EA004176058-01, involves digging out the damaged culvert, laying a new pipe beneath the road, building new drainage features and then reinstating the carriageway.

Timeline of the Hamsey Road closure at Barcombe: the road closed on 10 December 2025 after a culvert collapse, repairs started on 27 July 2026, and with around ten weeks of work the road is expected to reopen around early October 2026
Graphic by The Lewes Post.

The diversion while it is shut

The signed diversion runs via Cooksbridge Road, Deadmantree Hill, the A275, The Drove, North End Lane and Hamsey Lane, and the same route in reverse. Access to properties inside the works area is limited during working hours and managed by arrangement with the site team; the contractor’s contact for questions is eshcomms@balfourbeatty.com.

East Sussex Highways cautions that dates on its works programme are subject to change, so treat early October as the current estimate rather than a promise.

Meanwhile in Lewes: Church Lane works until 10 September

The district’s other long-running job is on Church Lane in Lewes, between the Mayhew Lane and St Michael’s Terrace junctions, where the road surface is being excavated so a waterproofing membrane can be applied to the concrete slab beneath, which forms the roof of the garages along St Michael’s Terrace. That scheme is due to finish on Thursday 10 September 2026.

The road stays open with temporary traffic lights, manually controlled between 7am and 7pm, and the work itself runs from 8am to 4.30pm. While it lasts, the Hereward Way public car park is closed for use as the works compound.

What it means for you

If you drive between Barcombe, Hamsey and Cooksbridge, nothing changes until the autumn: the diversion above remains the route, and it is worth allowing the extra time at school-run and commuting hours. Anyone planning deliveries or trades visits to homes on Hamsey Road itself should book with the site team’s working hours in mind.

Both schemes carry the same caveat, that dates can move with weather and ground conditions. We track the district’s live closures and schemes on our Lewes roadworks and travel page, and we will report when East Sussex Highways confirms the reopening date.