North Hykeham bypass plan given initial go ahead
The decision means preparation work will now take places including surveys.
Council leaders have “pulled the trigger” for a “desperately needed” £212 million bypass in North Hykeham, but have warned other schemes “might have to slip” to keep them in budget.
Lincolnshire County Council’s executive committee on Tuesday approved the start of pre-construction details, including surveys and planning application and a new contract with Balfour Beatty next week.
It is hoped construction of the road will begin in November 2025.
Executive portfolio holder for highways Councillor Richard Davies said: “This has been in the planning for longer than I’ve been on the authority and I think it’s a sign of testament for planning for the future that we secured property along the route many years ago.
“Having successfully secured over 100 million pounds worth of government funding, I think that tells you it’s the most highly ranked project in East Midlands. It does show we’re in a good place and this will make a big difference to all of Lincolnshire.”
Councillor Martin Hill told the committee the decision “pulled the trigger ready for the next three years”.
He said it was “desperately needed” adding: “Anyone that lives near Hykeham knows its pretty grim most of the time in terms of traffic movements.”
However, referring to a potential £57.9 million funding gap due to national spikes in labour and material costs, along with inflation, he added: “It will remain one of the top priorities of the future when we get other future funding of the council, but it might mean other schemes might have to slip to keep us within the financial envelope.”
Officers gave reassurance that they were confident they could deliver the project in the £179 million-£212 million cost range they had estimated.
A proposed timetable shows a 41 month period from May 2022 to October 2025 where these works will take place with a planning application hoped to be submitted initially in 2023.
Construction is set to follow in the 36 months between November 2025 and November 2028.
The project would see a new dual carriageway built, linking the A46 Pennells Roundabout to the Lincoln Eastern Bypass, creating a complete ring road around the city.
The council hopes it will cut traffic in and around North Hykeham, Lincoln and the surrounding villages, as well as meet growth targets and better connect the A46 between the Midlands through to the Humber ports.
The cost of the scheme is currently estimated to be between £179 million and £212 million.
The majority of the money has been secured with £110 million from the Department for Transport, £38 million from LCC and £10,000,000 from developer contributions.
However, the report said there was a funding gap of between £24.8 to £57.9 million, with the DfT currently not putting in any more funding.
As part of the scheme, the council has already bought eight properties and a parcel of land in response to “blight” claims with a ninth one on the cards.