Lincolnshire sets seven-week Newark Road closure as North Hykeham Relief Road piling advances

Lincolnshire County Council has confirmed a seven-week inbound closure of Newark Road at the A46 Pennells Roundabout from 4 January 2027, as piling began at the River Witham on the North Hykeham Relief Road.

The council's November update, published on 2 November, said Balfour Beatty completed piling at Station Road in October, cropped the piles and started on the structure. Piling began at the River Witham, while ground improvement piling continued to the west of the river.

Bulk excavation and embankment construction progressed at Grantham Road and Lincoln Cliff and across the scheme, the council said. Material processed next to Grantham Road is being reused on other sections of the route.

Cllr David East, executive member for highways at Lincolnshire County Council, said: "We recognise that temporary traffic restrictions can affect people’s journeys".

Traffic restrictions

A single lane closure on the approaches to the A46 Pennells Roundabout is planned for the week starting 2 November to allow vegetation clearance, which started around the roundabout in October and continues overnight this month.

From Monday 16 November, temporary traffic lights will operate on the A607 Grantham Road for up to one month while Anglian Water diverts its utilities. Cllr East said: "We’re aiming to have the signals off of Grantham Road by mid-December".

The Newark Road restriction will run 24 hours a day for up to seven weeks from Monday 4 January 2027, closing the inbound carriageway towards Lincoln at the A46/A1434 Pennells Roundabout. Outbound traffic leaving Lincoln will remain open, with a diversion via the A46 northbound and the A57/Saxilby Road. The council said it expects inbound traffic to return to Newark Road by late February 2027.

Live plant crossings and reduced speed limits are already in place at South Hykeham Road, Brant Road, Station Road and Grantham Road.

November programme

The team will continue reinforced concrete work on the Station Road bridge and the Wath Lane Accommodation Bridge this month, alongside piling across the project, drainage and culvert installation, and further utility diversions.

Material processing continues at Grantham Road and Lincoln Cliff, together with excavation into the Lincoln Cliff itself. The council said in September that about 250,000 tonnes of limestone is being excavated from the Lincoln Cliff area, part of around 1.2 million tonnes of material to be excavated over the life of the project, of which more than one million tonnes will be reused on site.

Mud mitigation this month includes two sweepers working around the site and manual sweeping of the pavement at Station Road.

October also saw satellite compounds installed and powered by solar panels, and utility diversions on Station Road and Brant Road. Social value activity included a charity football match that raised £600 for a hospitals charity, white fencing at the Auborn and Haddington boundaries, and a visit to Boston Grammar School's careers fair.

The scheme

The relief road is a five-mile dual carriageway starting at the A46 Pennells Roundabout, with new roundabouts at South Hykeham Road, Brant Road and Grantham Road and bridges including at Station Road and over the River Witham. The council said it completes a ring road around Lincoln, will support the delivery of 4,500 homes around the city and will contribute £800m in economic benefits to the county over 60 years.

Balfour Beatty was identified as preferred contractor to design and build the road in February 2022. The council said in September that a dedicated 8km haul road is expected to remove more than 150,000 construction vehicle movements from the public road network, with a temporary bridge expected to carry more than 100,000 of those movements. The main compound covers about 15,000 square metres with 48 cabins and buildings, and around 300 people are expected to be based there.

By September the project had taken on eight local employees and one apprentice and spent over £30,000 with local businesses, according to the council. Balfour Beatty said the workforce of 300 would include 30 graduates and apprentices.

Cost and programme

The Department for Transport allocated £110m to the scheme from its Large Local Majors programme in November 2020, when the council's outline business case put the cost at £155m. In February 2022 the council estimated the cost at between £179m and £212m, which it attributed to national spikes in labour and material costs and inflation. Balfour Beatty's March 2026 release described the scheme as the £138m North Hykeham Relief Road.

The council's 2022 announcement expected main construction to start in November 2025 and the road to open in late 2028. Its February 2026 announcement gave an expected completion date of May 2029, and its project page now shows completion in summer 2029, with a note that future dates are projected and subject to change. Balfour Beatty said completion is expected in 2029.

The council dates construction from the groundbreaking ceremony on 17 March 2026; Balfour Beatty said at the time that main construction would start in May 2026.

The next published milestone is the removal of the Grantham Road signals, which the council is aiming to achieve by mid-December.