Council confirms Grantham Barrowby Road crossing works will begin on March 31 despite earlier delay concerns

A town’s new crossing works are set to proceed as originally planned, despite earlier announcements of potential delays.

Lincolnshire County Council said this week that work to build the crossing on Barrowby Road in Grantham was delayed until Monday, April 7.

However, leaders have now confirmed it will indeed start on Monday (March 31) as initially scheduled.

Coun Richard Davies (Con), executive member for highways, expressed frustration over the prospect of delays — prompted by the contractor seeking more time.

However, he said: "I told the team we can’t let them stretch it out."

“We’ve given the dates, we’ve gone out, it’s all been agreed, and we’ve got to hold them to what they said they’d do.”

He said it was vital to complete the work quickly on such a busy road.

Work near Greenhill Road, west of the Barrowby Road railway bridge, should last up to four weeks.

Virgin Media has been working on the road, and Coun Davies said it had been 'quicker than expected,' hoping it will finish by lunchtime tomorrow (Friday).

He said the council would continue to tackle issues as they arose.

“The county council is always trying to do our best to hold people to account for what they're doing for us to get the best value for money,” he said.

Coun Davies acknowledged parking concerns, saying some restrictions were needed for safety.

However, he hoped they would be minimal and residents could be accommodated.

He remained confident that the crossing would benefit the community and improve safety and accessibility along the road.

The works will see night-time road closures from 7pm to 6am (weekday evenings only).

Traffic will be diverted via the A1/A607 Harlaxton Road to Sankt Augustin Way, and vice versa.

The project adds six traffic signals, tactile paving, and resurfaced roads.

This crossing completes the £3.8million Community Crossings Initiative, the last of 12 installed since 2023.