Council to bid for up to £20m to cut congestion between Boston and Spalding

Every highways authority in England is being invited to submit one project from their area to the Levelling Up Fund by next Friday, June 18.

Lincolnshire County Council’s submission will focus on the A16 between Boston and Spalding, what it describes as a ‘key route’ for the agri-food industry.

It will include:

* Improvements at the A16/Marsh Lane junction, in Boston

* Improvements to cycling and walking in Wyberton Low Road area

* Feasibility research into the dualling of a ‘small amount’ of the A16 at Kirton

* Improvements at the A16/B1180 junction, near Morrisons, at Pinchbeck

* Improvements at the A16/A151 junction, near Springfields, at Spalding

The bid, the council states, forms part of a bigger and longer term strategy – at a meeting of its executive on Wednesday, access and egress at the Riverside Industrial Estate, in Boston, and ‘the A16/A52 leg of the route around Boston’ were also given as areas of focus by Justin Brown, assistant director for growth.

The council says that it has taken the approach to ensure that the project is deliverable within the Levelling Up Fund timeframe, that is, completed by March 31, 2024.

Coun Martin Hill, leader of Lincolnshire County Council, said “As 30 per cent of the UK food transport starts or ends in the south of Lincolnshire, these transport routes are key for freight travel across the whole of Greater Lincolnshire, but also important for local people travelling between Boston and Spalding.

“We welcome the Government’s commitment to ensure every part of the country gets the funding it needs. Ongoing investment in improved transport infrastructure is a priority for Greater Lincolnshire, connecting our trading markets and communities.”

Commenting on the bid, MP for Boston and Skegness Matt Warman said: “This proposal will unlock the start of a much-needed wider programme of road improvements in the Boston area. For too long we have known that unpredictable congestion on Boston’s main arteries costs our businesses time and money and causes huge frustration to local road users.

“I am pleased to see the county council bid focusing on delivering improvements and look forward to continuing to work with them to develop a much more comprehensive proposal to access further Government funding.”

The council will also be applying to the Government’s Community Renewal Fund for funding of up to £9million for the county. This is a one-off fund to support pilot schemes and innovative approaches to local economic growth.

The council has received 31 bids to a value of £18.7m, primarily focusing on the priority areas of East Lindsey, Boston and South Holland, with benefits across the rest of Lincolnshire.

Bids are currently being assessed to decide which ones to take forward to Government.