Green light given to £96m Lincoln bypass

Lincolnshire County Council are seeking tenders for a £96m bypass for the city after the much-delayed project was finally given the green light by transport bosses.

The controversial Eastern Bypass, which has gone through two public enquiries and seen hundreds of local people object to the project, will link the A158 Wragby Road with the A15 Sleaford Road. The Department for Transport has now approved plans for the road after reviewing the findings of a planning inspector’s report following a public inquiry held last year. Work is expected to start in the summer and take two years to complete.

The majority of the objections to the project were due to concerns that the five-mile single carriageway road would block a key route into the city from three villages. The council's previous plans were rejected by the government in 2014 because of safety concerns over a bridge, which has now been redesigned. 

Commenting on the decision to go ahead with the project, councillor Richard Davies, executive member for highways and transportation, said: "I am glad the inspector saw that not only is the bypass a vital component in our plans to create a fit-for-purpose highways infrastructure for the needs of an expanding Lincoln, but that the changes at Hawthorn Road have been mitigated by the provision of reasonably convenient alternative routes.

“It will also open up development opportunities as part of our growth agenda because for this to happen, we need highways infrastructure like this scheme in place. We expect the diggers to be on the site in May or June, and it will take a few years to complete, but the benefits to Lincoln and Greater Lincolnshire will be tremendous.”