Lincoln bypass to cost an extra £24m following Carillion collapse

The Lincoln Eastern Bypass is set to be delayed by six months and cost £24m more following the collapse of Carillion.

The news emerged after Lincolnshire County Council selected Galliford Try to undertake all remaining construction works for the 7.5km road.

Councillor Richard Davies, executive member for highways, said: “Following the appointment of Galliford Try earlier this year for the first package of Eastern Bypass construction works, we’re pleased to announce they will also be carrying out the remainder of the project.

“Since taking over from Carillion, Galliford has made great progress on-site, so we’re excited to continue building this relationship as they oversee all of the milestones to come, including the construction of four new roundabouts, two major bridges and 7.5km of new road.”

He added: “There are always unknowns when taking on a project of this scale, but we now have a much clearer picture of where the project stands. At this stage, the total cost of the project is now expected to be £120m, with about half the new costs coming as a result of changing contractor and the remainder from additional archaeological spend, additional land acquisition costs and inflation.

“Also, another outcome of Carillion’s collapse is that the scheme’s new expected completion date is May 2020.

“We know this isn’t ideal, as were hoping for the bypass to be open in December 2019, but we have done all we can to keep the project moving in the right direction. By exploring all options and focusing our efforts on getting the best value for money, we’ve been able to keep the time delay to a minimum, despite the situation we were cast into.

In addition to applying for additional funding from the Department for Transport and Historic England, the County Council says it will be funding the extra scheme costs.