Following 14 months of construction, the new Heighington Road bridge has opened to the public, improving transport links in and out of Lincoln.
The bridge was constructed as part of the Lincoln Eastern Bypass project, part funded by a £50 million central government grant.
Lincolnshire County Council are hoping the project will improve Lincoln’s infrastructure, encourage growth, minimise traffic congestion and enhance the inner-city environment.
Councillor Richard Davies, executive member for highways said: “Getting the new bridge built was a massive undertaking since it involved splitting Heighington Road in half, digging out 16 metres of rock and earth to make space for the bypass and then reconnecting the road with a new 33-metre long bridge.”
“We want to thank everyone for their patience over the past fourteen months while this huge structure was being built.”
Despite this, the road will face a closure later on in the year to remove the concrete plant crossing currently in place and resurfacing that section of the road.
The developments to the road aren’t scheduled to stop, with a new roundabout cleared to be built further down on Washingborough Road, closing the road for around 5 months.
During this 5 months, construction company Galliford Try will lower the road by 1.5 metres before carrying out drainage, street lighting, kerbing and surfacing works.
The moves also have local motorists excited, as it will improve road links into Lincoln city centre.
Abby Morrison, a local commuter into Lincoln city centre from Bardney said: “It’s something that needs to be done, improvements to the transport links into Lincoln will only help commuters get to work and tourists get into Lincoln.”
“It’ll help the local economy and is only a positive thing for the city of Lincoln.”
For the latest news and updates on the Lincoln Eastern Bypass, visit www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/leb.