Newlands in Lincoln to be hit by 7-month repair programme costing £2 million

Traffic in central Lincoln is set to be rocked by a seven-month £2 million repairs programme on Newland, which councillors say will be a “massive piece of work” in the heart of the city.

The large-scale project will see improvements to the Newland area of the city, preserving the future of one of Lincoln’s busiest traffic and pedestrian routes for decades to come.

Works will include rebuilding the carriageway along Newland, between Wigford Way and The Avenue, as well as some of nearby Mint Lane and Lucy Tower Street.

Kerbs and footways that have started to deteriorate will be replaced, improved highways drainage will be installed and two of the oldest sets of traffic lights in Lincoln — at the Lucy Tower Street/Newland junction and the Carholme Road/Brayford Way junction — will be replaced with more modern technologies.

Lincolnshire County Council hopes this £2 million project will not only result in smoother journeys for car users, but also improve infrastructure for pedestrians and alleviate standing water in the area.

The authority says this project has been fully funded by the county council itself, though Newland improvements were part of the outline business cases for £20 million of government capital funding from Greater Lincolnshire’s proposed devolution deal.

Improvements to Newland fall under the wider “Lincoln Area — Improvements to Trans Midlands Trade Corridor” business case of £3.3 million, which includes the Nettleham Roundabout on the A46.

Large portions of the works will take place along Newland, where the Lincolnshire County Council offices are based.

Work is set to begin at Newland on April 15 this year, with a view to completing the project in the latter months of 2024, or early 2025.

Lincolnshire County Council (LCC) has warned that there will be disruption in the city centre, due to the scope of the improvements and the busy location for the works, but vows to minimise this and keep people informed throughout the duration of the project.

Traffic measures are set to include a 24-hour lane closure and night-time road closures as needed, with specific dates and details to be revealed in due course.

Coun Richard Davies, executive member for highways, said: “This improvement scheme is going to be a massive piece of work right in the heart of Lincoln.

Get the news delivered straight to your inbox - sign up to The Briefing here

“Not only will we be completely rebuilding the carriageway along Newland from the ground up, but we’ll also be replacing kerbs and footways that have started falling apart and improving our highways drainage to help alleviate standing water in the area when it rains.

“Carrying all of this work out will mean this stretch of road will be able to withstand decades more use before more highways improvements need to be done.”

A dedicated public liaison officer will be appointed for this project, to allow businesses and residents a primary contact for concerns or issues they might have.

This announcement comes at a pivotal time for Lincolnshire County Council’s highways team, after central government announced some £262 million of a £1 billion funding pot for the county’s roads and transport links, following the cancellation of the northern leg of HS2.

LCC has previously said highways need an additional £40 million a year for the next decade to get all the county’s roads to top condition, and this funding translates to around £37.5 million per annum.

The council says it will “cautiously welcome” this funding from the Department for Transport.