The future of a major relief road is in jeopardy as the new Labour government carries out a transport review. The North Hykeham Relief Road, which is estimated to cost around £200 million, will complete the ring road around Lincoln if it goes ahead.
A total of £110 million in government funding was secured for the project in 2019 while the Conservatives were in power. However, the new Transport Secretary, Louise Haigh, has commissioned an internal review of DfT’s capital spend portfolio, meaning the North Hykeham Relief Road funding could be scrapped.
The relief road, which is being carried out by Lincolnshire County Council, has been around two decades in the making and planning permission for the project was granted earlier this year. Dr Caroline Johnson, MP for Sleaford and North Hykeham, said: “I am shocked that the North Hykeham Relief Road project is in jeopardy and could be scrapped under the government’s transport review.
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“I secured £110 million in government funding for this road in 2019. Lincolnshire County Council has also provided significant funding for this project. It has long been one of my top priorities to ensure that this vital infrastructure project is delivered as I know how much the local community needs it.
“I urge the government to provide assurance that the project can proceed to construction as soon as possible as the allocation has been committed to in the government accounts for some time and this project has long been promised to the local community.”
Councillor Richard Davies, executive member for highways at Lincolnshire County Council, said: “It would be incredibly foolish for the new government to take away or reduce our funding for the North Hykeham Relief Road at this stage since we’ve been granted planning permission and are just over a year away from breaking ground.
“If the £110 million that’s been allocated by DfT for the scheme is pulled, the project would essentially be dead in the water until we could secure £110 million elsewhere. However, I think we’d struggle to find alternative funding sources that could commit to that amount, and the county council most definitely couldn’t afford to make up the difference.
“Also, if the funding is pulled, the county wouldn’t see the benefits the new road would bring like unlocking land for 4,500 new houses and seven hectares of employment land. Midlands Connect has looked at all prospective projects regionally and identified North Hykeham Relief Road as one of the best-performing prospective schemes in the East Midlands.
“In fact, the project’s current benefit-to-cost ratio is 2.31, which means for every £1 spent on the relief road, we’ll get £2.31 back in benefits like reduced travel time, improved safety, and economic development. This ranks as ‘high’ value as defined by the DfT.
“Hopefully Lincoln’s new MP, along with all of Lincolnshire’s other MPs, will fight to keep this much-needed project alive. If not, millions of pounds of taxpayer money could end up having been wasted getting us to where we are now – just over a year away from starting construction.”
Transport Secretary Louise Haigh blamed the previous administration for leaving a “£22 billion public spending gap this year alone”. She added: “Communities up and down the country have been given hope for new transport infrastructure, with no plans or funds to deliver them.
“This government will not make that mistake. This government will rebuild our economic foundations while restoring transparency and public trust.”
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