Lincolnshire County Council to work alongside the Greater Lincolnshire Combined County Authority to address issues surrounding the Spalding Western Relief Road project

The new Lincolnshire mayor and county leaders have vowed to do what they can to speed up a solution to the embarrassing ‘bridge to nowhere’ saga.

Lincolnshire County Council says it is planning to work alongside the Greater Lincolnshire Combined County Authority in an effort to address issues surrounding the mohtballed Spalding Western Relief Road project.

The two Reform UK-led authorities are looking to work together to progress the scheme, which has come under the spotlight again after receiving national media coverage earlier this week.

Work on the estimated £110 million project, which aimed to link Pinchbeck and Spalding Common in a bid to divert traffic away from congested Spalding, began in January 2022.

The northern section of the relief road was completed in 2024 — but highways bosses have so far been unable to find external funding for the southern and middle sections, which are expected to cost between £50 million and £60 million, after initial funding was pulled in 2023 to help offset rising costs for other major road projects.

The former Conservative administration at Lincolnshire County Council previously said this meant work on the southern section was likely to start until after 2030.

The project has since been dubbed by many as a "bridge to nowhere” since news of the delay was first broken by LincsOnline. We also recently revealed that the bridge cost about £2 million more than expected.

Coun Rob Gibson, recently appointed deputy leader, has long spoken out about the project. Ahead of the May local elections, he appeared with now-Mayor of Greater Lincolnshire Andrea Jenkyns in a promotional video near the relief road, arguing the project needs an "awful lot of money," which remains unallocated.

He said: “We have to see what the future could be for that.”

Now in a position of power, he added: “One of the first things we’re doing is looking at all of the county’s road projects with a fresh set of eyes.

“Leaving a road half-built isn’t acceptable, and waiting years and years to finish a project as important as the Spalding Western Relief Road is frustrating and unfair to local people.

“We’re going to work with the new combined authority to see what can be done to move this scheme along faster so that this issue is addressed.”

The councillor, who also sits on South Holland District Council, had previously called for a footbridge to be placed over the A16 at the revamped McDonald’s roundabout to help people cross safely.

The Mayor of Greater Lincolnshire Andrea Jenkyns, who chairs the GLCCA, also commented: “As Mayor, I will ensure that there is true scrutiny of taxpayers' money and that anything we do as a combined authority is transparent. Lincolnshire has been ignored by government for too long when it comes to funding the infrastructure our residents and businesses want and need.

“Routes around the south of the county are strategically important – particularly for our food and farming sector. I’ll be using my role as Mayor to make sure the roads and other projects we need get the national recognition and funding they deserve.”