Long diversion as junction to be rebuilt on A17 at East Heckington

Lincolnshire County Council highways officers have announced that the A17 junction with the B1395 Side Bar Lane in East Heckington will be rebuilt starting in mid-September.

Karen Cassar, assistant director for highways, said: “The A17/B1395 Side Bar Lane junction, one of the area’s most important sections of road, is starting to deteriorate. As a result, one of our teams will be fully reconstructing it over three weeks starting in mid-September.

“Whilst there, the team will also be renewing the road markings on the A17, between Swineshead Bridge and Heckington, as they’ve become very faded.

“Because we can only substitute like-for-like roads when planning diversion routes, this one is a bit longer than usual. That’s because there are no other roads suitable for HGVs, and diverting them to C roads would mean having these large vehicles passing through local villages late at night. That’s why we encourage anyone planning to pass through this junction overnight to leave additional time until we’re finished on site in early October.”

Drivers approaching the junction from the B1395 will be diverted 12 miles via the A153. Those heading from the A17 will need to take the A15 and A52, a distance of about 22 miles.

She said: “Like any major roadworks, there will be some disruption to people who use the road. But we’ve planned the works to take place overnight so that people using the A17 in the day aren’t affected.”

County councillor for Heckington, Andrew Key said: “The reconstruction of our integral A17 / Side Bar Lane junction is a very welcome improvement for East Heckington because, over time, the junction surface has started

breaking down.

“Once finished, the junction will be good as new – making it safer and more comfortable for all road users. In the meantime, I ask anyone affected by the works to bear with us and remain patient while we work on improving

the infrastructure in the area.”

The work is set to start on Monday September 11 and run for up to three weeks.

The junction will be closed from 7pm to 6am, weekday evenings only and traffic will be diverted via the A153 and A17 and vice versa.

Karen Cassar added: “We encourage anyone wanting to report potholes or other faults on our road network via FixMyStreet, either online or on the app.”

For up-to-date information about this and other roadworks, visit www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/roadworks.