Council details £20m plans for A16 improvements after government funding

Lincolnshire County Council has outlined its £20 million plans for improvements to the A16 corridor between Boston and Spalding, after funding was secured as part of the Chancellor’s Autumn budget.

Lincolnshire received close to £30 million in levelling up funding from Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s Autumn budget which was announced on Wednesday, £19.6 million of which will go towards improvements to the A16 corridor between Spalding and Boston.

The other £10 million will go towards a new cinema complex in Gainsborough. The money will be spent by the end of 2024, and will focus on numerous sections of the A16 as part of a huge improvement overhaul.

The route is key for the agri-food industry, and an improvement bid was submitted by Lincolnshire County Council as part of the government’s levelling up fund, in an attempt to reduce congestion in the area.

The improvements will be:

• A16 / Marsh Lane junction, Boston: Construction of a dedicated free-flow lane for A16 northbound traffic, making it easier for freight vehicles accessing the local industrial estate. There will also be an enhanced non-motorised user crossing across Marsh Lane arm built
• A16 / Station Road junction, Kirton: Enhancement to a fully signalised crossroads as well as widening and lengthening of both A16 approaches
• A16 / B1180 junction, Spalding: Widening of the junction to provide two wider lanes within the roundabout, along with lengthening the two lane approaches and exits on the A16 arms
• A16 / A151 junction, Spalding: Widening the junction to add additional circulatory lanes, lengthening the two lane approaches and exits on the A16 arm and the enhancement of crossing facilities
• Wyberton Low Road active mode improvements, Boston: Provision of cycle tracks on London Road, upgraded signalised crossing over the A16, consideration of a 20mph speed limit and traffic calming measures along Wyberton Low Road with a shared use footpath. This will address the conflict between cyclists and heavy goods vehicles on Marsh Lane through the Riverside Industrial Estate
• A151 Camel Gate junction active mode improvements, Spalding: Provision of a two-way segregated cycle track on the east side of Camel Gate, signalised crossing, widening of the existing shared use path on Holbeach Road, and improving connections to Springfield Outlet area

Cllr Richard Davies, executive member for highways, said: “This announcement is fantastic news for Lincolnshire, and we very much welcome the government’s commitment to ensuring every part of the country gets the funding it needs.

“Now that our bid’s been confirmed, the next step is to complete detailed feasibility studies for each of the improvement projects we included. Once these are complete early next year, the studies will outline the costs, risks and general design requirements for each set of works.

“From there, we’ll move into the detailed design phase, with a view to having the money awarded to us spent by the end of 2024 – the timeframe specified by government.”