Plans revealed for £148.5m relief road

Plan for a £148.5m roadworks project that would bring forward a complete ringroad around Lincoln have been revealed.

The scheme would see a new dual carriageway join the A46 Pennells Roundabout to the Lincoln Eastern Bypass.

Councillor Richard Davies, executive member for highways, said: “As part our initial research for the outline business case we’re preparing, we’ve identified that a dual carriageway road is the best way forward for the North Hykeham Relief Road.

“Compared to the single carriageway options, a dual carriageway road would provide more traffic relief for road users as the number of vehicles traveling in and around the area continues to increase over the next ten to twenty years.

“Dual carriageway isn’t just the council’s preferred option. We recently held a series of public engagement events about the project, and 75% of people that completed surveys said they support dual carriageway over single.

“So a dualled road is what we will be pushing for as we pursue the Government funding needed to get it built.”

Over 1,000 people completed the engagement survey promoted by the Lincolnshire County Council in June, with 89% supporting the scheme and 87% preferring a stretch of road that connects the western bypass to the Lincoln Eastern Bypass.

When built, the North Hykeham Relief Road is expected to cost £148.5m if built as dual carriageway and between £100m and £117m if built as single.

The proposal for finalising an outline business case based on a dual carriageway North Hykeham Relief Road will be discussed at a meeting of the county council’s Highways and Transport Scrutiny Committee on Monday 10 September, with final approval to be given by executive councillors in early October.

Davies added: “We’re nearly finished preparing an outline business case for the North Hykeham Relief Road project, which, once approved, will be used when applying for government funding towards the scheme as and when it becomes available.

“The North Hykeham Relief is an essential piece of infrastructure for the Greater Lincoln area and will play a pivotal role in shaping Lincoln’s future.

“By forming the final section of a complete ring road around the city, not only will it will help further reduce traffic congestion in and around Lincoln, North Hykeham and surrounding villages, but it will also help us meet growth targets for the area that include approximately 36,960 new dwellings and 11,894 new jobs up to 2036.

“In addition to pushing for the North Hykeham Relief Road to be built as dual carriageway, it also remains the council’s long-term aspiration to make the Lincoln Eastern Bypass, which is currently under construction, dualled.”