The county council has officially published the legal orders for the final piece of Lincoln’s ring road.
Cllr Richard Davies, Executive Member for Highways, said: "Despite uncertainty around Central Government’s £110 million in funding for the North Hykeham Relief Road project, we’re ploughing ahead as planned to ensure we remain on track for starting the works late next year if and when Westminster confirms their funding promise this autumn.
“As a result, we’ve just published the legal orders for the project, which essentially give the county council powers to acquire the land needed for the road and to make changes to the road network to accommodate the NHRR.
“The objection period for the orders is now underway until late November. Following that, we hope to hear from the DfT by late December about whether a public inquiry will be needed for the scheme. But rest assured that, because this is such a massive project that affects so many people, we’ve programmed an inquiry into our timeline. That means we’d still be able to break ground by the end of 2025 if we need one.”
Construction of the new relief road is expected to start in late 2025 and to be open by late 2028. The cost of the project is currently estimated to be between £180m and £208m.
The North Hykeham Relief Road project will 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/nhrr.