December 4, 2020 5.25 pm This story is over 39 months old

The Lincoln Eastern Bypass will have a 60mph speed limit

Opening ahead of Christmas
Greetwell Road roundabout. | Photo: Kurnia Aerial Photography

There will be a new speed limit of 60mph when the Lincoln Eastern Bypass opens “before the end of the year”.

The £120 million single carriageway bypass will start at a new roundabout on the A15 Sleaford Road and finish at the A158 Wragby Road.

An exact completion date for the bypass, which will become the new A15, has not yet been revealed by the county council. However, councillor Richard Davies said it will be ready ahead of Christmas.

There will also be new road layouts in place, which are expected to divert up to 25% of traffic from Broadgate in Lincoln.

Speed limits

  • The new bypass’ speed limit will be 60mph
  • A 40mph speed limit will be in place at Wragby Road roundabout
  • A 50mph speed limit will be in place on Hawthorn Road, between the new bypass and Cherry Willingham (the existing 40mph in Cherry Willingham will remain)
  • Speed limits on Greetwell Road, Washingborough Road, B1188 Lincoln Road, A15 Sleaford Road and Bloxholm Lane will remain as they were before construction started

New junction layout at Hawthorn Road. | Photo: LCC

New road layouts

Hawthorn Road

Drivers will be able to access Hawthorn Road east from the new bypass with a permanent closure of Hawthorn Road from the west for drivers.

No access to Cherry Willingham will be available via the Hawthorn Road junction with Bunkers Hill.

Access to Cherry Willingham from the new bypass will only be available for southbound traffic from Wragby Road roundabout. Traffic accessing the bypass from Cherry Willingham will only be able to enter southbound towards Greetwell Road.

Greetwell Road, Washingborough Road and B1188 Lincoln Road

New bypass roundabouts at each of these locations will provide access in all directions.

A15 Sleaford Road / Bloxholm Lane

Bloxholm Lane has been split in half by the new bypass, so its existing junction with Sleaford Road will be marked as ‘no through road’.

The new A15 Sleaford Road roundabout will provide a connection between northbound and southbound Sleaford Road, the Lincoln Eastern Bypass and the re-aligned Bloxholm Lane.

Heighington Road

The road will pass over the new bypass from above via a new bridge. There will be no access from Heighington Road to the new bypass or vice versa.

New road names

  • The Lincoln Eastern Bypass will become the new A15
  • The current section of bypass between Riseholme Roundabout and Wragby Road Roundabout will also become the A15 (currently the A46 and A158)
  • The current section of A15 from Sleaford Road Roundabout, through Bracebridge Heath and to the bottom of Cross O’Cliff Hill will become the A607
  • The current A15 through Lincoln (starting at Cross O’Cliff Hill, over Pelham Bridge and to Wragby Road Roundabout) will become the A1434

The bypass will also be added to the council’s gritting schedule and local highway officers will regularly monitor wear and tear on the road.

Meanwhile, over 300 new trees, 10,000 smaller shrubs and plants, and an extensive new drainage system are just some of the ways county engineers are lessening the road’s impact on local ecology.

Lincolnshire county councillor, Richard Davies, executive member for highways. | Photo: Steve Smailes.

Councillor Richard Davies, executive member for highways, said: “Although we don’t have a specific date set just yet, we’re just weeks away from Lincoln’s new bypass opening ahead of Christmas.

“And when it opens, people can expect some changes to how the road network in and around Lincoln works.

“This includes re-familiarising with the previous speed limits, adjusting to new ones and re-planning journeys to make the most of the bypass while factoring in some new road layouts.”