Grantham roadworks to continue despite rising concerns from residents
Lincolnshire County Council says it has no plans to alter the ongoing roadworks in Grantham but is monitoring the situation.
This follows a series of roadworks at the Market Place, Station Approach, Dysart Road, and Westgate, undertaken in quick succession.
The works have caused widespread frustration among residents regarding the ongoing roadworks in Grantham.
Many have expressed concerns about poor planning, leading to traffic congestion, delays, and difficulties reaching essential services.
Simultaneous road closures have worsened gridlock and caused anxiety, particularly among vulnerable populations.
Grantham Town Council leader Tim Harrison (Ind) strongly criticised Lincolnshire County Council's handling of the roadworks.
He expressed frustration over what he sees as poor planning and mismanagement, causing chaos in the town.
“As chairman of the town council, I am asking you to revisit your roadworks schedule,” said Coun Harrison on Tuesday.
“Will you not be happy until you have killed this town?”
“You are messing with people's livelihoods. I am facing angry people daily that can’t get to work, and businesses are massively struggling!”
He questioned the lack of contingency plans for accidents or closures on the A1 and expressed concern about the upcoming work on the Barrowby Road crossing.
He also said that some road layouts, such as the junctions at Lodge Way and Brook Street/Watergate, had further contributed to the town's infrastructure descending into chaos.
Traffic maps frequently show red lines.
Additionally, there have been several accidents on the roads in the past few days, which have only worsened the situation.
One Facebook post on LincsOnline on Monday received 200 comments about the issues.
Readers said the roadworks were poorly planned without considering the community impact.
Many commenters suggested that the roadworks should have been staggered or done at night to minimise disruption.
Residents have called for better communication, including progress updates and road closure explanations.
Shannon O'Neill said: “This is causing huge problems! We have vulnerable adults that require care in their own homes, time-critical medication, and support with food and drinks—people who live alone.
“These roadworks are making it impossible to reach people on time, causing hours of delays and increased anxiety for the vulnerable.”
Gareth Rowlands added: “There aren’t any alternatives; they’ve all got roadworks on.
“The planning for all these works should have been staggered. The town is going to be gridlocked for months on end, and businesses are going to suffer as people finally have enough and go elsewhere to shop.”
In response, Lincolnshire County Council placed significant responsibility on South Kesteven District Council (SKDC).
Assistant director for highways, Karen Cassar, emphasised that the district was responsible for the Market Place and Station Approach projects, with the County Council acting only as a delivery partner.
She said issues had been “made worse” by broken down vehicles; a five-vehicle accident caused by a drug driver; and HGVs queuing under the rail bridge at Harlaxton Road, blocking traffic from the other direction.
She acknowledged the disruption but noted improvements due to traffic signal adjustments at Wharf Road.
She advised residents to plan for longer travel times.
The simultaneous scheduling of the three projects was attributed to funding deadlines set by South Kesteven District Council's Future High Street Fund, which requires the money to be spent by March 2025.
Although the county council wanted to stagger the projects, funding issues forced the current timeline.
“We were also pushing to carry out the Station Approach works first, which would have meant that our Dysart Road improvements wouldn’t be happening at the same time – but South Kesteven District Council wanted to prioritise the Market Place works, so our hands were tied in terms of scheduling,” she said.
She added that Dysart Road repairs are a priority due to crumbling sections and drainage issues.
She said it was too early to halt Station Approach works but that the situation is monitored daily.
Karen expressed frustration but assured efforts to manage the roadworks efficiently.
She added: “We’re as frustrated as everyone else by this collision of schedules that can’t be resolved.
“I completely understand that carrying these works out all at once is not ideal, but we’ve had to make the best of the situation and the short timeframes we’ve been given for the Market Place and Station Approach works.
“We’ll continue doing everything we can to make the best of the current roadworks situation in Grantham, and we’ll continue delivering all of these projects as quickly and efficiently as possible.”
A spokesperson for SKDC said: "The Station Approach and Market Place improvements in Grantham are paid for through part of the £4.2m Government's Future High Streets Fund won by SKDC.
"The implementation, project management and scheduling are the responsibility of Lincolnshire County Council, the only constraint on project delivery being a funding requirement that the FHSF town centre work is complete by March 31, 2025."