Motorists told Grantham Southern Relief Road will take two more years to complete

The County Council says an opening date is still not set for a new relief road, and that it isn't expected to open for two more years following a design error.

An update has been shared regarding the Grantham Southern Relief Road,which will link the A52 at Somerby Hill to the A1 once complete.

Despite 90 per cent of the road already being built and ready to use, motorists will have to continue waiting. A temporary guiding structure is set to arrive later this month on the site of the new road.

The structure is integral to accurately sliding the new 2,500-tonne bridge 300m over the East Coast Main Line and River Witham. The bridge push was originally scheduled to start this summer but it has taken longer than expected for the new design solution to be approved.

Due to this the relief road is not expected to open for around two years, which would be late 2027. Councillor Michael Cheyne, executive member for highways, said: “Since announcing a design error earlier this year, the scheme’s delivery partners and project team have been working tirelessly to finalise the revised details for sliding the bridge into place.

“But work is still taking place on site and the new temporary guiding structure is being built as we speak, with a view to attaching it to the front of the bridge over the coming months. From there, we can start moving the bridge over top of the East Coast Main Line and River Witham once all of the project’s suppliers can agree the finer details of the launch system.”

Councillor Cheyne added: “I understand how frustrating this news will be for the people of Grantham, especially when 90 per cent of the road is built and ready to use. However, it’s incredibly important that all the engineering technical processes are in place before things progress any further, to ensure the council does not end up in the same situation again.

“Although we don’t have an exact date for when the relief road will be ready to open, I can say with confidence that, once the bridge push does start, it will be approximately two years until the road can open.

“Please rest assured that I’ll be doing everything in my power to ensure this project doesn’t slip any further.” Lincolnshire County Council is still in the process of pursuing contractual and legal processes with a view to hold those responsible for the design error to account and recover taxpayer money.