A major railway bridge in Grantham – Springfield Road – reopened on Friday afternoon following the completion of a £2.7 million project by Network Rail that took seven months to complete.
The project saw two railway bridges spanning Barrowby Road and Springfield Road strengthened to keep the railway running reliably and ensure people can pass safety underneath it. The bridges carry the busy East Coast Main Line.
The improvements to the railway bridge at Barrowby Road were completed in early December last year before work began on Springfield Road in January. Adverse weather conditions in February caused some delays to the work before Springfield Road fully reopened on Friday, April 16.
The east side of the railway bridge at Springfield Road in Grantham. | Photo: R S Mortiss
Springfield Road railway bridge has been closed since January 2021. | Photo: R S Mortiss
Network Rail teams have carried out vital repairs to the steel and brickwork on the bridges, as well as re-waterproofing them and re-painting sections.
The work was carried out in stages to make sure one of the two roads could stay open for the vast majority of the project.
A highways team on site sorting the traffic lights on Friday, April 16. | Photo: R S Mortiss
Paul Rutter, Route Director for Network Rail’s East Coast route, said: “This vital work to strengthen the two railway bridges in Grantham means they are fit for purpose for the future – to carry the East Coast Main Line and for people in the community to safely pass underneath them.
“We carefully planned the project to minimise disruption for people in the community as much as possible. The weather brought some challenges and we want to thank drivers, residents and businesses in Grantham for their continued patience while the work was carried out.”
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Marc Jones, the re-elected Conservative Lincolnshire Police and Crime Commissioner, said that his work is not done, as he’s looking forward to a further three years in the role.
Mr Jones won with a 57.9% majority of the poll from the first round of counting, with 102,813 votes from a 31% turnout. A total of 177,528 votes were placed county-wide.
The nearest candidate was Labour’s Rosanne Kirk, with a 19% share of the votes, with Lincolnshire Independent David Williams securing the third spot with 10%.
The breakdown of the votes cast on Thursday, May 6, and counted on Saturday, may 8, was:
Marc Jones (Conservative) – 102,813
Rosanne Kirk (Labour) – 34,310
David Williams (Lincolnshire Independent) – 18,375
Ross Pepper (Liberal Democrats) – 10,172
Peter Escreet (Reform UK) – 6,101
Marc Jones: “More work to do”
“It’s very gratifying to have concluded today on the first count, that was a really positive thing for what I’ve delivered so far,” said Mr Jones.
“But I’m under no illusions having spoken to many around the county there’s an awful lot more work to do.”
He said he wanted to assure the public that “nothing was taken for granted”.
Rosie Kirk – Labour – 2nd place
Labour’s candidate Rosie Kirk said she was “thrilled for her party” across all three elections that had taken place in Lincolnshire this week.
“The votes that we got was incredible. Our message got through and to actually come second in a Conservative county is really great,” she said.
However, she added that there were “lots of questions that still need to be asked” and promised to keep up her scrutiny of Marc in his role.
Ross Pepper – Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrat candidate Ross Pepper said the result was not “entirely unexpected”.
However, he said he was proud of the three Liberal Democrat councillors that had won seats in the local elections at Lincolnshire County and City of Lincoln Councils.
“I’m ready to work with them for a better Lincolnshire and a better Lincoln,” he said.
“In a Conservative heavy county we did a really good job of getting the Liberal Democrat message out there… and we continue pushing that message through local campaigning in the future.”
David Williams – Lincolnshire Independents
David Williams, the Lincolnshire Independents PCC candidate congratulated Marc Jones on his victory but said it is “not a surprising outcome”.
“I’m really pleased to have run for the post, because if I hadn’t have had a go to do a job that I really would have relished then I would have looked back and regretted not having taking the opportunity.”
Peter Escreet – Reform UK
Peter Escreet, the Reform UK candidate also said the result “was as expected” but actually he was “pleasantly surprised,” saying that this is “just the start”.
“The real campaign is in three years’ time” where Mr Escreet wants to grow a majority.
Conservative Marc Jones has been re-elected to the Lincolnshire Police and Crime Commissioner role.
He won from the first round of counting with 102,813 votes from a 31% turnout.
The PCC oversees the strategy and finances of the force, and also hires and fires chief constables, who are responsible for the daily policing operations.
Mr Jones will be in the position for three years.
The breakdown of the results is:
Marc Jones (Conservative) – 102,813
Rosanne Kirk (Labour) – 34,310
Ross Pepper (Liberal Democrats) – 10,172
David Williams (Lincolnshire Independent) – 18,375
Peter Escreet (Reform UK) – 6,101
Here’s the live result announcement, the reactions and acceptance speech:
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