£50k to build a case to dual stretch of A17

County highways officials have been granted £50,000 to develop a business case towards the dualling of the A17 bypass around Heckington.
By Andy Hubbert
Published 12th Oct 2021, 05:05 BST
A business case is to be researched for dualling the A17 Heckington bypass. EMN-211110-162211001A business case is to be researched for dualling the A17 Heckington bypass. EMN-211110-162211001
A business case is to be researched for dualling the A17 Heckington bypass. EMN-211110-162211001

Lincolnshire is one of six councils to receive funding from Midlands Connect - the transport wing of the Midlands Engine - to develop local road improvement projects.

These schemes were assessed for their feasibility, deliverability and ability to ease congestion. Each of the improvements is linked to wider regional priorities and objectives.

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Coun Richard Davies, executive member for highways at the county council, said it was fantastic news: “The A17 corridor provides a vital east-west route that connects Newark and the A1 with Boston and Norfolk. However, it currently has limited capacity due to a mix of single-lane and dual carriageway that can make overtaking difficult and cause bottlenecks.

A £50,000 grant will help build a business case for government backing to dual the A17 Heckington bypass EMN-211110-162256001A £50,000 grant will help build a business case for government backing to dual the A17 Heckington bypass EMN-211110-162256001
A £50,000 grant will help build a business case for government backing to dual the A17 Heckington bypass EMN-211110-162256001

“This funding means we can further look into dualling the A17 near Heckington, between the east and west junctions into the village, including developing an outline business case we can use when applying for government funding towards the scheme.

“Dualling this stretch of road would offer up several benefits like providing a new overtaking opportunity, improving journey times and safety, and future-proofing the A17 as more and more vehicles use it over the coming years.”

If taken forward, the scheme is expected to cost between £20-50m, subject to fine tuning.

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Midlands Connect researches, develops and champions long-term transport projects which will provide the biggest benefits for the Midlands and UK. The body will work with the council in building their case to Government.

The proposal is to dual the A17 between the two junctions into Heckington. EMN-211110-162416001The proposal is to dual the A17 between the two junctions into Heckington. EMN-211110-162416001
The proposal is to dual the A17 between the two junctions into Heckington. EMN-211110-162416001

Coun Davies added: “We’re always looking ahead at potential projects for the county, so this £50k will go a long way towards us continuing to develop ready-to-build improvement schemes we can put forward as and when bidding opportunities crop up.

“It’s important to stress this project actually being built is fully reliant on successfully securing external funding, so it could be several years before taken forward past the business case stage.”

This is the first of three planned rounds of support for local councils to promote local schemes.

Related topics:A17Richard DaviesLincolnshireBostonNorfolk