£208m Lincolnshire road job heads to inquiry

Proposals for a £208m road job that was awarded three years ago are to go to a public inquiry next month.

Lincolnshire County Council said the formal process of examining legal orders for North Hykeham Relief Road would begin on 1 July.

Balfour Beatty was named in April 2022 to design and build the section of dual carriageway, which will complete a ring road around Lincoln.

The county council approved planning permission for the scheme last year but land owners, businesses and statutory bodies have raised objections to legal instruments needed for it to proceed.

Now the Department for Transport (DfT), which is backing the project with more than £100m, has ordered a public inquiry into the compulsory purchase order and side road order requested to allow construction of the road.

Michael Cheyne, executive member for highways at the county council, said: “Any road project of this size requires a lot of work before we can start building new roads and bridges but our project team is getting us closer and closer to breaking ground.

“Despite an inquiry being required, we are continuing to progress with the scheme with the intention of starting construction works later this year.

“This scheme is essential to supporting the growth of the area and keeping the county moving, so I look forward to seeing work commence soon.”

The compulsory purchase order would allow the council to acquire outstanding plots of land for the relief road while the side roads order would enable it to improve local links to the highway.

The North Hykeham Relief Road would see a dual carriageway built linking the A46 Pennells Roundabout to the newly constructed Lincoln Eastern Bypass.

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.