Initial assessment of Horncastle bypass completed

Lincolnshire coastal highway corridor
Lincolnshire coastal highway corridor

The assessment started with 14 options, which were sifted down to three and further analysed.

The assessment started with 14 options, which were sifted down to three and further analysed.

The shortlisted options included one full northern route, one full southern route and one partial southern route.

Cllr Richard Davies, executive member for highways, said: “Earlier this year, we carried out an initial assessment of a potential Horncastle bypass.

“What we found was that, based on the Department for Transport’s scoring system for funding, this project wouldn’t offer enough benefits or value-for-money to attract government money towards the £50m-plus scheme.

“This doesn’t mean that Horncastle will never have a bypass, but it does mean we’ll need to look at other funding options before committing to spending £2-4m towards moving the scheme forward to the design and business case stage.”

In addition to looking into a Horncastle bypass as part of the Lincolnshire Coastal Highway project, the project team also identified other potential improvements along the A46 west of Lincoln, A158 to Skegness and A57.

Cllr Davies added: “As path of the project, we’re currently working on an assessment for a relief road in Skegness, which we expect to complete in the coming months.

“I want to remind people that the coastal highway project is more than just a Horncastle Bypass or Skegness Relief Road. It’s about gradually improving sections of the whole route, including reducing congestion at key pinch points, improving safety and signage and making the route more cycle-friendly.

“Although things are progressing well, we’re still in the early stages of this scheme. How quick things move forward will be dependent on which individual projects are chosen and what funding opportunities are available in the future.”

Find out more about the Lincolnshire Coastal Highway.

Published: 18th September 2019