A26 road

The A26 is a primary road in south-east England, running for about 80 kilometres from Maidstone in Kent to Newhaven in East Sussex. It mostly has one lane in each direction, though some sections have three lanes with a middle lane that switches sides to help overtaking and turning. The road links the industrial north Kent area to the ferry port at Newhaven, so it carries a lot of heavy goods traffic. Built in the early 20th century, the A26 was first classified in 1922 under the Ministry of Transport Act. Its original route went as far as Brighton, but the section from Lewes was later reclassified to the A27 between 1947 and 1951. After 1969 the road was extended along the B2109 to reach Newhaven. Travellers on the A26 pass through towns such as Tonbridge, Royal Tunbridge Wells and Lewes. Near Lewes the road offers a view of the chalk cliffs at the edge of the South Downs before entering the Cuilfail Tunnel, built in 1983. On leaving the tunnel, drivers see the Culfail Spiral, a sculpture by Peter Randall-Page at the roundabout.