The massive project would see the final section of Lincoln’s ring road built.
The North Hykeham Relief Road project, including an overview of the scheme and its proposed planning application, is set to be reviewed and discussed by the county council’s Highways and Transport Scrutiny Committee on Monday 11 September.
Cllr Richard Davies, executive member for highways, said: “We’re getting much closer to hopefully submitting our planning application for the North Hykeham Relief Road. But before we do that, our highways scrutiny committee will need to review and comment on the plans before Executive votes on whether to submit it.
“The report being shared with the committee offers a thorough overview of this massive infrastructure project and how it’s evolved since March 2022 – when we appointed Balfour Beatty as scheme contractor.
“Since that time, plans have been optimised and refined following input from our talented team of experts, as well as from those it will affect most – local people.
“We’ve held three sets of public information events since appointing Balfour Beatty, during which we’ve listened carefully to people’s views and concerns before tweaking the road’s design to reflect what we’ve learnt.
“For example, people shared with us their concerns around safety and congestion at the A46 Pennells Roundabout, so we’re now proposing to upgrade the roundabout to be a signalised junction with pedestrian and cyclist crossing points to increase safety, reduce rat-running and improve traffic flows.
“As the report outlines, the current proposed plan is to submit a planning application this October with a view to starting construction by the end of 2025.”
The full report is available to view here.
According to the project report provided to the scrutiny committee:
- Main construction is still expected to start in November 2025
- The relief road is expected to open by late 2028
- The cost of the scheme is currently estimated to be between £180m and £208m
Cllr Davies added: "The project cost range is still similar to previous with the price window actually narrowing to give us a bit more certainty on price. In fact, the maximum cost has actually dropped by just over £4 million to £208 million. Despite this, there are still a number of risks that could cost us and a number of opportunities that could help us save money which we’ll continue investigating so we can narrow the range down even more as we progress.
“Like I’ve said previously, we'll be preparing for the higher figure but working hard towards achieving the lower one.”
Cllr Martin Hill, Leader of Lincolnshire County Council, said: “If taken forward, the new relief road would form the final section of a complete ring road around Lincoln, making it much easier for people to get around the area.
“Among its many benefits, the North Hykeham Relief Road would help reduce congestion in and around North Hykeham, Lincoln and the surrounding villages; and improve journey time reliability; help us meet the area's growth target; and better connect the A46 between the Midlands through to the Humber ports.”
The North Hykeham Relief Road project would see a new dual carriageway built, linking the A46 Pennells Roundabout to the newly constructed Lincoln Eastern Bypass, creating a complete ring road around the city.
As part of the project, new roundabouts would be built at South Hykeham Road, Brant Road and Grantham Road. A number of bridges would also be constructed, including at Station Road and over the River Witham.
For more information about this and other major highways projects, visit www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/majorprojects.