About the project
This five-mile long dual carriageway road will link the A46 Pennells Roundabout to the Lincoln Eastern Bypass, creating a complete ring road around Greater Lincoln. As part of the project, new roundabouts will be built at South Hykeham Road, Brant Road and Grantham Road. Several bridges will also be constructed, including at Station Road and over the River Witham.
Although we are delivering a major road scheme, our ambition goes far beyond simply building new highways infrastructure. We invest in roads as a means to unlock wider place-making priorities by supporting growth, enabling development, improving connectivity, and crucially, redistributing traffic to create the conditions for more liveable, people-focused places elsewhere.
This scheme is therefore not just about improving journey times; it is about using the road network as a tool to reshape how places function, freeing up spaces to be enhanced, regenerated, and better serve our communities.
Aims and benefits
The project aims and benefits are to:
- assist the sustainable economic growth of Lincoln and Lincolnshire
- reduce congestion in and around North Hykeham, Lincoln and the surrounding villages
- improve the quality of life in the Lincoln area
- maximise accessibility to central Lincoln
- improve road safety in central Lincoln and the other nearby settlements
Cost and funding
£110 million was allocated for the project in November 2020 from the Department for Tranport's 'Large Local Majors' programme.
The remaining budget will be funded by Lincolnshire County Council and developer contributions, which the council will forward fund.
Timeline
- October 2005: First 'preferred route' consultation takes place
- April 2006: Route 2c selected as the basis for an Emerging Preferred Route
- October 2006: Second 'preferred route' consultation takes place
- December 2006: Route 2c endorsed as the relief road's preferred route
- July 2017: Funding for preparation of an outline business case secured
- June 2018: Scheme engagement carried out
- September 2018: Engagement report published
- February 2019: Outline business case complete
- February 2019: Funding bid submitted to Midlands Connect
- Summer 2019: Midlands Connect sends prioritised list of schemes to DfT
- November 2020: £110 million DfT funding allocation received
- April 2022: Balfour Beatty appointed to design and build the new road
- September 2022: First set of pre-planning public information events take place
- March 2023: Second set of pre-planning public information events take place
- June 2023: Final set of pre-planning public information events take place
- October 2023: Planning application submitted
- May 2024: Planning permission granted
- July 2024: Legal orders approved by Executive
- October 2024: Legal orders published
- July 2025: Public inquiry takes place
- September 2025: Archaeology works begin
- October 2025: Secretary of State approves legal orders
- February 2026: 'Meet the Contractor' events take place
- February 2026: Government confirms funding for North Hykeham Relief Road
- March 2026: Construction begins
- Summer 2029*: Project complete
*All future dates are projected and subject to change dependent on external factors.
