One month until start of Lincoln’s Bailgate improvements

Cllr Michael Cheyne, executive member for highways, said: “The current stone blocks on the carriageway along Lincoln’s Bailgate have started to shift, break, and lift out of place. This means bumpy rides for drivers and potential trip hazards for people on foot – both of which are not ideal. 

“To stop the situation getting any worse, we’ll be starting a major improvement scheme in the area next month – but all footways will remain open during the works. 

“Our team will be lifting out and re-laying what we can of the existing carriageway stones onto a stronger mortar base as part of the works, with any broken blocks replaced with like-for-like. 

“By acting now, we’ll be able to re-use 65% of the stone blocks already in place. If we were to wait any longer, the cost for these much-needed works would increase due to a combination of inflation and more blocks needing replacing.

“In the end, these improvements will mean minimal highways maintenance over the next twenty years.”

Phasing and traffic management

The work will be carried out in five phases, with a single section of Bailgate closed at any given time. These phases are:

• Phase 1 – between Westgate and The White Hart Hotel (mid-January to early February)
• Phase 2 – between Newport Arch and Westgate (early February to early March)
• Phase 3 – junction that links Westgate and Bailgate, located outside of Prince of Wales and Greggs (2-3 days during the first week of March)
• Phase 4 – between Newport and Newport Arch, along with Westgate between Greggs and The Castle Hotel (early March to late March)
• Phase 5 – the raised crossing outside Westgate Academy (late March to early April)

Please see the attached phasing plan for traffic management details of each phase. All timeframes are subject to change due to weather and other unforeseen issues. 

Cllr Cheyne continued: “By carrying the project out in phases, we’re able to maintain as much on-street parking as possible while reducing the amount of disruption generally. This will make the works far more palatable than if Bailgate was fully closed from The White Hart Hotel to Newport Arch.

“I also want to assure everyone affected that we’ll working as efficiently as possible once we break ground. This includes re-opening some areas within each phase as progress is made if possible, rather than waiting for the whole phased area to be done.”

Businesses open as usual

Cllr Cheyne added: “I want to stress that all of Bailgate’s footways and nearby carparks will remain open throughout the entire project. On-street parking will also remain available during the works, although some bays may be closed while we re-lay the stones in the immediate area.  

“That means it will be business as usual during the project, so we encourage anyone passing through to stop into the fantastic shops and eateries within this historic area of Lincoln.”

Please note that a dedicated public liaison officer has been appointed for the project who will be the main point-of-contact for any construction-related queries or arrangements. Her name is Sophie Ward-Owen, and she can be reached on 07495 916383 or sophie.ward-owen@owen-partners.co.uk.

The project is expected to cost £1.7 million and will be fully funded by Lincolnshire County Council. 

For more information about the project, visit www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/bailgate.