Plans are in place for a £360M investment for improvements and major projects on Lincolnshire’s highways, while Balfour Beatty has signed a new £330M highways maintenance contract with the county council.
In addition to the standard maintenance and repairs carried out by Lincolnshire County Council each year, a total of £360M will be spent over the next five years on new infrastructure and major improvements.
The council’s executive member for highways councillor Richard Davies said it is “all systems go” when it comes to major roads improvements.
In the north, the planning application for the new North Hykeham Relief Road was officially submitted in October. Construction of the new road, which will cost between £180M and £208M, is expected to start in 2025 and take up to three years to complete.
It will improve journey time reliability, boost the economy by forming an integral part of the route to the coast, help meet the area’s growth target, and better connect the A46 between the Midlands through to the Humber ports.
Davies said: “This will be one of the county’s biggest road projects in recent years, involving the building of a brand-new five-mile stretch of dual carriageway; three new roundabouts; and over four new bridges, including one over the River Witham.”
Meanwhile, in the south, Davies said work is “well underway to ‘level up’ the A16 between Boston and Spalding”.
He said: “Near Boston, we’re nearly finished widening Marsh Lane Roundabout and improving active travel. And near Spalding, we’re underway with major improvements to the A16/A151 roundabout near the Springfields shopping centre where we’re adding additional entry and exit lanes on the A16 and improving entry and exit lanes on the A151 to improve traffic flows.”
In summer 2024, work will also begin to replace the current A16/B1180 Greencell Roundabout near Spalding with a new, larger version with added capacity. These changes will result in improved journey times and less traffic and help future-proof the A16.
In Grantham, in the west, work to build the relief road bridge over the Witham Valley, River Witham and East Coast railway is underway.
Phase Two of Grantham’s new relief road opened in late 2022, connecting the A1 to the B1174 via a bridged underpass and two new roundabouts. A section of Phase Three, from the A52 Somerby Hill roundabout to Whalebone Lane, is also now open.
Davies said: “Construction of the final section of the relief road is well underway, with a focus on building the new viaduct. All six of the new bridge piers are in place and we’re almost ready to start installing the new bridge deck. The new relief road is still set to open by the end of 2025.”
Finally, a £1.2M project is currently underway in Skegness, in the east, to improve some of the coastal town’s most important roads. Davies described the coast as “one of Lincolnshire’s greatest assets”, adding that “keeping the area’s roads well-maintained is integral for not just residents and visitors, but the county-wide economy”.
Alongside the £360M for major projects, Balfour Beatty Living Places has been awarded a £330M six year highways maintenance contract extension by Lincolnshire County Council.
The extension builds on the current six year contract which is due to end in 2026, extending it until spring 2032.
Balfour Beatty Living Places will continue to work with the council to maintain the region’s 9,240km of carriageways, provide drainage cleaning services and provide winter and reactive highways maintenance such as gritting, road repairs and traffic management.
The company will utilise its state-of-the-art Operational Control Hub, which launched this year, to monitor all activities in real-time and drive efficiencies across the local road network.
Balfour Beatty Living Places managing director Steve Helliwell said the extension is “testament to the strong relationship we have built”.
He said the company will “continue to provide a best-in-class highways maintenance service, whilst offering customer focused solutions in a collaborative partnership and leaving a lasting positive legacy for the communities we serve”.
Balfour Beatty head of highways client and contractual management services Jonathan Evans added: “The Lincolnshire County Council Executive unanimously voted in favour of extending the contractual arrangement with Balfour Beatty Living Places by a further six years ensuring long term service continuity and allowing both parties to focus on strategic improvements in service delivery.
“In addition to this, we have secured a number of improvements for the residents of Lincolnshire and I’m excited to work with Balfour Beatty to implement these in the near future.”
The contract will continue to employ a workforce of 183, including 10 apprenticeship and graduate positions.
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