COLUMN: Building bridges, with residents and for residents
Building bridges is an important part of the work of any councillor – we connect the residents we represent to the services they need and provide the link between our communities to the various different areas of the council.
But Lincolnshire County Council is also, of course, quite literally building bridges.
Several bridges will be constructed as part of the work with the North Hykeham Relief Road, a project we broke ground on recently and will see the completion of the bypass around Lincoln. These bridges include one at Station Road and over the River Witham.
The much-anticipated Grantham Southern Relief Road includes a 370m long bridge, and contractors are now starting to move the main 293m part of this into position. This is a hugely complex operation as the 2,500 tonne bridge is pushed slowly and carefully into place to ensure it is perfectly aligned.
It’s being moved from the west side, over the river and the railway line and under the power lines.
When this is done, the rest of the bridge will be built on the east side including lifting new steel beams into place, concreting the decks and laying road surfacing, among other things.
This is a huge milestone for the project, and requires absolute precision to get it into place. Ninety percent of the relief road is already built, and this bridge is the missing link – and possibly the most important part of the whole project.
The 3.5km relief road will make it easier and quicker to move in and around Grantham.
One of the added benefits of building roads like this, is that it unlocks land that can be developed, which helps our local economy – encouraging businesses to move here and providing more jobs.
The new footbridge we’re creating as part of the Viking Way comes at a time when the popular walking route reaches its 50th year. Running vertically through the county it’s a mammoth 149-mile path that gives walkers an opportunity to see some fabulous parts of Lincolnshire – as well as some parts of Leicestershire and Rutland.
I think 149 miles might be a big ask for most of us! But you can always try one of the shorter circular walks that use part of the Viking Way, and that’s a really fantastic thing to do now we’re seeing the spring weather brightening our days.
New roads are very much needed to connect our county, but our countryside is equally valuable – so get out and enjoy it!
This column has been provided by Coun Sean Matthews, leader of Lincolnshire County Council