September 28, 2018 4.11 pm This story is over 66 months old

Final backing expected for £148m dualled southern bypass

Councillors will give the final green light next week
A visual impression of the North Hykeham Relief Road: LCC

Senior county councillors are expected to give the final backing for the £148 million North Hykeham Relief Road to be a dual carriageway.

Lincolnshire County Council’s executive will discuss the project next week and have been recommended to approve the plan.

They are also expected to back a move to bid for £104 million worth of funding from the Department for Transport.

It would mean that the county council would foot around £34 million of the cost with £10 million being paid by the developer.

Detailed plan for the North Hykeham Relief Road: LCC

The road would join the ongoing Lincoln Eastern Bypass and the A46 in the west – completing the city’s ring road.

Councillors on the authority’s Highways and Transport Scrutiny Committee previously described the scheme as a “no brainer”.

Executive portfolio holder for highways, Richard Davies,called the ‘ambitious and expensive project’ a way of improving A46 connectivity from the Midlands all the way through to the Humber port.

He said: “We wanted the Lincoln Eastern Bypass to be dual carriageway because it makes no sense that when you’re building major infrastructure like this you shouldn’t always aim to make a dual carriageway.

“The Government previously prevented us from building one on the Lincoln Eastern Bypass for financial reasons and while I won’t necessarily agree, I understand that.

Councillor Richard Davies, Lincolnshire County Councillor executive member for highways.

“For the price of a stretch of dual carriageway in one location you can build two bits of road in two other locations, I get that, however its this British approach we have to infrastructure we have that’s remarkably short-sighted.

“That’s very frustrating and that’s why we are trying again to build a dual carriageway – whether the Government will let us remains to be seen.”

Senior councillors on the authority’s executive will meet to discuss the plan on October 2.

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