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Improvements to one of the busiest roads in Skegness are at long last reaching the closing stages, as Lincolnshire County Council confirms Roman Bank now has a brand new drainage system in use.

The Roman Bank improvement works have been a mammoth effort filled with delays and headaches for the council, first closing in August 2020 for an originally planned eight months to replace the worn out carriageway and footpaths, as well as improving drainage.

The work has been carried out between the junction with Burgh Road/Castleton Boulevard and just past the junction with Elmhirst Avenue, and a 24/7 road closure has been in place on the 550m stretch of road.

Roman Bank in Skegness. | Photo: Lincolnshire County Council

Progress has been halted on numerous occasions during the scheme, with work pausing for Christmas in 2020, as well as being stopped for four months in May 2021 to allow for free movement of locals during the summer season.

As well as this, the finish date was pushed back in March last year after an unexpected gas pipe diversion.

The construction teams have been hard at work installing a new drainage system under the road. | Photo: Lincolnshire County Council

However, with a fully functioning drainage system now operational on the road, attention turns to the final stage of the scheme, replacing the worn out carriageway on Roman Bank with more than 500 tonnes of new tarmac.

Almost all works between Muirfield Drive and Brancaster Drive are now complete, meaning the team have moved up to the final area of Roman Bank that requires improvement.

Councillor Richard Davies, executive member for highways, expects the project to be finished this spring and says work is now progressing well on site.

The project is nearing its conclusion, after numerous headaches. | Photo: Lincolnshire County Council

Councillor Davies said: “Completing construction of the new underground drainage system along Roman Bank is a significant milestone for this important scheme.

“Not only did installing the system mean laying over half a mile of new drainage pipes up to 4.5m deep under the newly-rebuilt carriageway, but it also meant installing two new manhole chambers, 19 surface water catchpits and 85 drainage gullies.

“This new system will play a key role taking surface water from the road and moving it to a nearby water course, helping to prevent flooding on the carriageway and nearby properties.”

The scheme was made possible thanks to a £3.6 million funding boost from the Department of Transport in 2020, though it has taken almost a whole year longer than initially anticipated.

North Kesteven District Council’s leader has called a motion urging him to write to government calling on the PM to allow remote meetings a “waste of time” because he has “already signed a petition on change.org”.

The motion was put forward by Lincolnshire Independent Councillor Marianne Overton on Thursday night in a bid to put pressure on MPs to discuss the issue in the House of Commons.

She said temporary relaxations of the rules during the COVID pandemic had been a success for local democracy.

“The benefits have included increased attendances at remote meetings by both councillors and the public; significant cost savings for some authorities arising from much less travel to meetings; environmental benefits of less travel, particularly in large rural authorities; a better work life balance for councillors… and opening up opportunities for more people to stand for election as councillors,” she said.

The campaign is backed by the Local Government Association and the National Association of Local Councils and has been challenged through the High Court.

However, the government says it would require a change in primary legislation and that there is not sufficient parliamentary time.

NK Administration leader Councillor Richard Wright told members: “This is a waste of time.

“On January 13 all members of the council were informed that I had signed, on behalf of the council, a petition to change.org for the very thing we are talking about.”

He said the LGA backed the approach and that it would have strength in numbers if successful.

However, he said that despite claims from councils that they wanted to progress with the change there were still fewer than 10,000 signatures on the petition.

At the time of writing the petition Councillor Wright referred to had 9,161 signatures.

Councillor Wright said it was “disappointing as a lot of councils have indicated that they allegedly did want to move down this route”.

“But clearly that has not changed into actual signatures on petitions.”

The motion was defeated 12 votes to six with two abstentions.