January 20, 2020 1.12 pm This story is over 50 months old

Seven months of delays as Grantham relief road junction works begin

Northbound lanes will be temporarily diverted
The lane diversion is expected to be in place for seven months while the first half of the new bridge is built. Photo: LCC

Drivers in the Grantham area will face seven months of delays when the construction of the new £102 million A1 relief road bridged junction begins later this month.

As part of the new bridge’s construction, the northbound lanes of the A1, between Harlaxton and Little Ponton, will be temporarily diverted to a new section of the A1 carriageway.

The lane diversion will will start on Monday, January 27, subject to suitable weather. It is expected to be in place for seven months while the first half of the new bridge is built.

The project will join the B1174 to the A1 via a grade-separated junction. The relief road will link the A52 at Somerby Hill to the A1, which should reduce congestion in Grantham town centre. The whole relief road is expected to be completed by winter 2022/23.

An inquiry previously heard that the £102 million relief road project will take traffic out of the town centre, improve air quality and create opportunities for walking and cycling. The public inquiry into the project, which was originally priced at around £81 million, was previously delayed due to an “administrative error.”

Councillor Richard Davies, executive member for highways, said: “Over the past four months, Galliford Try has been hard at work widening the A1 so it can be re-aligned as part of the new Grantham Southern Relief Road.

“And starting next week, we’ll be moving traffic off of the A1’s northbound lanes to this newly-widened section of road so we can make a start building the first half of the new grade-separated junction which will connect the trunk road with the B1174.

“Once that section is finished, we’ll move over to the south side of the A1 to complete the bridge ahead of fully opening phase two up to traffic in 2021 and the whole of the relief road by Winter 2022/23.

“Once the entire relief road is complete, it will not only reduce congestion and improve journey times in and around Grantham, but it will also boost the local economy by opening the door to more homes, job opportunities and community facilities.”

The Grantham Southern Relief Road project is being led by Lincolnshire County Council and supported by South Kesteven District Council, Greater Lincolnshire LEP, Highways England, Department for Transport, Network Rail, Homes England and local businesses.