On 19 April 2017, Chris Grayling responded to Maria Caulfield’s letter (13 March 2017) and agreed to take £3 million earmarked for addressing local safety and capacity issues between Lewes and Polegate and put it towards developing the case for a larger new road.

On 13 March 2017, Maria Caulfield, MP for Lewes, along with other MPs and councillors, wrote to Transport Secretary, Chris Grayling MP asking for funding for an offline dual carriageway between Lewes and Polegate.