Parts of Grantham’s Market Place reopen before the bank holiday weekend
Parts of a town centre that have been closed for refurbishment are now reopen ahead of the bank holiday weekend.
The south layby entrance to Grantham’s Market Place is back open, enabling access to Wide Westgate.
However, Conduit Lane and further access to the north layby will remain closed following delays in the project.
The works were due for completion by August 19 — and are part of a £4.1 million scheme.
However, the project has been delayed due to issues with the supplier of stone setts.
Despite selecting the quickest supplier, high demand and production capacity have caused delays.
In a statement earlier this month, Lincolnshire County Council said it had explored alternative suppliers but found none that could deliver the required materials faster, resulting in the delay of the project's completion until September 30.
Karen Cassar, county council assistant director for highways, said: “The good news is that we’ve laid the final Market Place setts, and they will have cured in time for us to have this and the south layby open in time for next week’s bank holiday weekend.
“This means vehicles coming from the south can start using Market Place to get to Wide Westgate starting late next week.”
She added: “Our focus now will be on laying the final setts on Conduit Lane and the north layby.
“Our plan now is to have the entire project wrapped up by 30 September, subject to when we receive the final batch of setts we need.”
The Market Place scheme is just one of a series of roadworks taking place around the town, which are causing drivers a multitude of headaches.
Residents and councillors called for a timing rethink, including on Dysart Road, and launched a petition to try to force this.
There are fears of a 'ticking time bomb' as pupils return to school, adding to rush hour traffic.
However, the authorities are yet to make changes.
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