Official approval has been given by the UK Government for the construction of the £208 million North Hykeham Relief Road. The project will deliver a new bypass in Lincolnshire running around the historic city of Lincoln.
The new dual carriageway stretch will be built by Balfour Beatty, with work due to commence in early 2026. The road stretch will link the A46 at Hykeham Roundabout with the Lincoln Eastern Bypass, which was completed recently. Once the North Hykeham Relief Road is complete, Lincoln will benefit from a complete ring road around the city. Included in the project will be new roundabouts at South Hykeham Road, Brant Road and Grantham Road as well as two new bridges, with one spanning the Witham River and the other at Station Road.
The project will face challenges as the alignment carries the route through marshy ground known for flooding. The road structure will have to be designed to cope with the poor ground while the road will likely be raised and feature extensive drainage to avert the risk of being washed out or flooding during periods of heavy rain. The alignment also passes close to the historic RAF base at Waddington, which first opened as an aerodrome in 1916 and this may place some restrictions on the construction activity.
