Completion of the Grantham Southern Relief Road (GSRR) in the UK has been delayed and will not be ready for use until 2027. The 3.5km bypass connects the busy A1 (great North Road) with the A52, running to the south of the town of Grantham.
However, problems have arisen with the 295m steel bridge spanning the East Coast Main Line (ECML), a key transport link for the UK. The first phase of the project, building a new roundabout off the B1174, was completed back in 2016, with the second phase, linking the B1174 to the A1, being completed in 2022. Phase three is for the construction of the bridge as well as the road sections to the east. Concerns over the safety of the installation method for the bridge resulted in this being halted.
The bridge was to have been pushed over the ECML and the River Witham but the risk of high winds during the installation process gave cause for concern so this process was halted. A special steel structure is being made that will guide the bridge into place without risk. But the supply of this structure has been delayed, pushing back the commencement of the bridge installation, while the cost of the special steel support has also not been finalised.
The new GSRR is required to cut congestion on the southern side of Grantham as the existing link is no longer fit for purpose and traffic delays are frequent at peak periods. The project is being carried out for client Lincolnshire County Council (LCC). A legal tangle will now likely have to be solved given that the project could now cost as much as £168 million. The project was originally expected to cost £133 million and be complete by 2023, then 2025 but was hit by increases in materials prices and labour costs.
This is the latest in a series of problems affecting the project. Previous delays were caused by the ground being softer than originally anticipated, requiring additional works to be carried out.
