Lincolnshire Considers Removing Tarmac from Rural Roads in Cost-Saving Move

Lincolnshire County Council is considering controversial plans to remove tarmac from some of its rural roads and replace them with gravel, as part of efforts to prioritise investment in the county’s major routes.

The proposal, known as “demetalling”, was discussed at a recent meeting of the council’s Highways and Transport Scrutiny Committee. The approach would see certain minor roads downgraded, with their sealed surfaces replaced by unsealed materials such as gravel or stone.

Highways officials argue the move could free up resources to improve key routes across the county, including major roads such as the A15 and A17, which carry higher traffic volumes and are critical to economic activity.

The proposal forms part of the council’s emerging Highways Infrastructure Asset Management Strategy, which sets out priorities for maintaining roads, footways and traffic systems across Lincolnshire.

However, the plans have drawn criticism from councillors, who have raised concerns about the potential impact on residents and road users.

Councillor Richard Davies (Conservative, Grantham West) described the proposal as “very concerning,” warning it could provoke a strong reaction from the public.

“I’m very concerned, with the greatest respect, with talk of demetalling and deranking roads,” he said.

“I think that will cause huge consternation to members of the public who are already facing concerns about the quality of the repairs.

“We all know that many journeys begin and end on minor roads. The idea that some of those may see their tarmac ripped up and replaced with gravel will be a very concerning revelation to the people of Lincolnshire.”

In response, Jonathan Evans, the council’s Head of Highways, said the authority is facing increasing financial and operational pressures, making it necessary to explore alternative approaches to maintaining the network.

“We do have large sections of our network which are already unmetalled,” he said. “There are opportunities on lower hierarchy roads where this approach may be appropriate.

“The cost and the burden to maintain such a large network means something has to give at some point, and we want to explore these options further.”

Evans added that any changes would involve consultation with local communities and would only be considered where there are suitable alternative routes or where safety would not be compromised.

He also highlighted the growing challenge faced by the council in maintaining an expanding highway network with limited resources.

“We don’t have sufficient funding to resurface all roads, so we have to prioritise. We want to focus on improving the condition of key parts of the network where intervention is more difficult and more critical.”

Under the proposals, the council could lower the classification of certain roads or, in some cases, consider formal closures or changes to their status.

A final decision on the strategy is expected to be made at an executive meeting on 8 April.

If approved, the move would represent a significant shift in how parts of Lincolnshire’s road network are managed, reflecting wider challenges faced by local authorities across the UK in maintaining ageing infrastructure with constrained budgets.