May 19, 2010 4.49 pm This story is over 181 months old

Bailgate beams in two-day traffic block

Bailgate refurb: The restoration project of the Bailgate will require traffic closing in the area for two days this weekend.

Bailgate and Westgate will be closed to traffic on May 20th and 21st, as steel beams will be arriving in Bailgate this week. The beams will be used for the refurbishment of the historic St. Paul’s in the Bail, while markers of Roman columns are reinstated.

The County Council say the traffic closure is necessary to enable safe delivery of the beams to the well site, due to the crane and large delivery vehicles. Access to Eastgate will be via a diversion route taking in Rasen Lane, Burton Road, Union Road, Carline Road, Drury Lane, and Castle Hill.

Work in St. Paul’s is due to be complete by the end of June. Meanwhile, Newport Arch is expected to re-open to traffic again in the first week of June. Repaving work is done on the carriageway between Westgate and Newport Arch, paving up to the Duke William Hotel. Parking will still be restricted at times to allow paving of the footways to be undertaken safely.

Work will then commence on Westgate, which will see the footways and carriageway repaved to the west of the build-out, opposite St. Paul’s in the Bail. Access to Westgate will be via Rasen Lane and Burton Road. This closure will also be made use of to install the remaining column markers on Bailgate.

“Refurbishment has now begun on the former site of St. Paul’s in the Bail Church and Roman well. This is a wonderful area to breathe new – and old – life into. The church building demolished in 1971 was largely Victorian, however the footprint which exists is of the earliest Christian church which stood on this site, possibly dating back to the last days of the Roman Empire,” said Les Outram, Project Manager for Lincolnshire County Council highways.

“We are also thrilled to continue reinstating the Roman pillar markers. As the name of the Bailgate Restored project suggests, we promised to retain and restore the area’s proud, historic elements. The columns once formed the frontage of the civic centre forum, the most important public building at the centre of the upper city and fronting on to the main street. The colonnades were found in the 1870s and are made of sandstone found in the Pennines. Given their diameter, they probably stood about eight metres tall,” Outram added.

Source: Lincolnshire County Council | Photo: Karen Withak via Flickr