Cash shortfall leaves Lincolnshire with ‘bridge to nowhere’

A £110m relief road in Lincolnshire, which was left half finished after funding ran out, is not expected to be finished until 2030 at the earliest.

The Spalding Western Relief Road was due to be delivered in five separate sections to ease congestion by providing a new route around the west side of the town.

Work on the northern section, which includes an overbridge spanning the Lincoln to Peterborough rail line, was completed by Taylor Woodrow in October at a total cost of just under £50m.

But since then, work on the project has stalled because of budget shortfalls.

Lincolnshire County Council said that external funding would be required to complete the southernmost section, which is expected to cost between £50m and £60m.

Only £27.7m was earmarked for the section in this year’s budget, it said, adding that it continued to work closely with South Holland District Council to identify opportunities.

For the middle three sections of the road, no funding had yet been secured, it said, as these were “intended to be built in the long-term”.

However, contributions from developers are expected to be the primary source of funding for all remaining sections.

The council said that while the cost of the whole project had been estimated at £109.5m, that figure was likely to increase if material and labour costs were still high when the southern and middle sections were progressed in the future.

It contributed £27.5m to the northern section of the road, while £20.1m came from Homes England’s housing infrastructure fund and a further £1m from South Holland District Council.

The scheme, which secured planning permission in 2019, was designed to reduce congestion in Spalding town centre as well as supporting sustainable housing and commercial growth within South Holland.

When complete, it will link the A1175 and A16 to the south and east of Spalding, to the B1356 to the north, via the B1172 Spalding Common.

Rob Gibson, deputy leader of Lincolnshire County Council, said that leaving the road unfinished was not be acceptable.

“One of the first things we’re doing is looking at all of the county’s road projects with a fresh set of eyes,” he said.

“Leaving a road half-built isn’t acceptable, and waiting years and years to finish a project as important as Spalding Western Relief Road is frustrating and unfair to local people.

“We’re going to work with the new combined authority to see what can be done to move this scheme along faster so that this issue is addressed.”