Road to hell: Motorists are facing major disruptions on Tritton Road, as works will begin for nine weeks.
Lincolnites are facing nine weeks of traffic jams and disruptions, as the second phase of road works will begin on Tritton Road, one of the busiest in the city.
From September 20 work on the Doddington Road and Sainsbury’s entrance junctions will be carried out simultaneously.
Works near the Skellingthorpe Road junction will start in mid-October. Completion of all three junctions is expected by mid-November.
The Doddington junction will include layout changes to solve the problem of vehicles wishing to go straight on having to queue behind vehicles waiting to turn right.
A new Pelican crossing will also be installed across Tritton Road, and old traffic signals will be replaced.
Doddington Road (East) will need to be closed, and three-way lights will operate controlling traffic on Tritton Road and Doddington Road (West).
Major work at the Sainsbury’s entrance will require right turn prohibitions in and out of the store, with alternative access via Moorland Way.
Moorland Ave will also be closed at the Tritton Road end, to make a safer right turn into Sainsbury’s with improved signals and road layout, and a new Toucan crossing.
There will also be a new traffic signal camera which will supply real-time travel information and monitor traffic flow.
The Skellingthorpe Road scheme will also extend the inside lane to help counter the queuing problem.
This road-widening would increase the capacity of the road, creating a better traffic flow. This will be carried out under a lane closure and stop-go signs.
Dave Underwood, Senior Highways Officer at Lincolnshire County Council, says “a significant level of disruption will be required”.
“This is an exciting project which will bring many benefits to shoppers, motorists, pedestrians and cyclists, and ultimately much-improve this part of our network.”
“Motorists are advised to plan ahead, allow extra time for their journeys, and consider the alternatives routes of the bypass and Newark Road.”
“Some road closures will inevitably be required but we will keep Tritton Road open with traffic management in operation controlling the traffic.”
The first phase of the project was carried out in May, and created over six weeks of disruption at the Moorland Way junction.
The whole project is estimated to cost £0.5 million, and most of the bill is footed by Sainsbury’s, as part of their planning application to expand the store.
A dramatic video shows a car engulfed in flames in the car park at Lincoln County Hospital on Tuesday afternoon.
An on-call crew from Lincolnshire Fire & Rescue attended the scene on Greetwell Road shortly before 5pm on Tuesday, April 13.
The crew used one hose reel to extinguish the fire and fortunately no casualties were reported.
The car is probably a write-off. | Photo: The Lincolnite
Dramatic pictures from the scene show the severe damage that was caused to the front of the car.
Fall in county infections but a Boston spike
There have been 50 new coronavirus cases and three COVID-related deaths in Greater Lincolnshire on Tuesday — compared to 58 cases and no deaths this time last week.
The government’s COVID-19 dashboard recorded 26 new cases in Lincolnshire, 19 in North Lincolnshire and five in North East Lincolnshire.
On Tuesday, three deaths were registered in Lincolnshire, none in North East Lincolnshire and -1 in North Lincolnshire. Fluctuations in data are usually due to some deaths in those areas being reallocated to other regions across the UK or a miscount. These figures include deaths both in and out of hospitals, as well as residents in hospitals outside the county.
NHS England has reported two new local hospital deaths at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust hospitals.
On Tuesday, national cases increased by 2,472 to 4,375,814, while deaths rose by 23 to 127,123.
In local news, people aged over 45 can now book their COVID vaccinations on the NHS website after the government reached its target of offering a first dose to the nine most vulnerable groups.
There were recently some technical difficulties for people accessing the NHS website, but vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi said the issues have been fixed – book a vaccine online here and find out if you are eligible.
Over the weekend, Greater Lincolnshire’s infection rate has fallen, with a spike in Boston only.
Similarly, the England average has also seen a drop in infections, but still remains nearly half Greater Lincolnshire’s rates.
Lincoln has dropped by more than half over the weekend and now has one of the smallest rates in the UK, with just 9.1 per 100,000 of the population infected with COVID-19.
Here’s Greater Lincolnshire’s COVID-19 infection rates up to April 12:
Greater Lincolnshire’s infection rates from Apr 5 to Apr 12. | Data: Gov UK / Table: James Mayer for The Lincolnite
In national news, Boris Johnson has warned that the reduction in coronavirus infections, hospitalisations and deaths “has not been achieved” by the rollout of COVID vaccines.
The prime minister, speaking the day after the latest easing of lockdown restrictions, instead said it was the national shutdown that had been “overwhelmingly important” in driving down COVID rates.
England is giving out its first doses of the Moderna jab, the third COVID-19 vaccine in the nation’s rollout.
It will be available at 21 sites, included the Madejski Stadium in Reading and the Sheffield Arena.
Along with the Pfizer jab, it offers an alternative to the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine for under-30s, after concerns about a possible link to very rare blood clots.
Greater Lincolnshire includes Lincolnshire and the unitary authorities of North and North East (Northern) Lincolnshire.
58,772 cases (up 50)
2,184 deaths (up three)
of which 1,302 hospital deaths (up two)
4,375,814 UK cases, 127,123 deaths
There will be another Kill The Bill protest in Lincoln next week, rallying against a new government bill that diminishes protesting rights.
Protests have been rife across the country since the government’s proposed Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill was first discussed, with scenes turning violent in Bristol.
Over two hundred people peacefully took part in the city’s first march at Speakers’ Corner on April 3, including Extinction Rebellion activists and Socialist and Labour supporters.
| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Now, after a post started doing the rounds on social media, another protest has apparently been scheduled for 2pm on Monday, April 17 at the same location on Lincoln High Street, as part of a national day of action.
A poster promoting a second event has been shared across social media platforms.
Protests are lawful once again after the government eased lockdown restrictions on March 29, but organisers are required to submit a risk assessment prior to any event.
| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Organisers of the last protest were in close communication with police to make the event safe, and The Lincolnite has asked Lincolnshire Police if they have been made aware of another protest, but are yet to receive a reply.
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