North East Lincolnshire Council has come under fire amid multiple road work schemes which will result in overlapping road closures and restrictions across the borough.
This comes after the authority announced plans to begin a scheme of round-the-clock structural repairs along the A180 at the end of February.
The A180 project will see repairs carried out on the Gilbey Road flyover, Alexandra Dock bridge, and the Cleethorpe Road flyover where inspections have shown ‘deterioration’ of the bridges’ carriageways and the underlying structures over recent years. Overnight closures and diversions will be in place, with the road re-opened through the daytime with restrictions, meanwhile an indefinite road closure is still in place on Corporation Bridge.
Announcing the programme of works, North East Lincolnshire Council stressed that only one bridge would be worked on at a time to minimise disruption. Despite this, the news resulted in widespread frustration with many asking how the council could ‘justify’ moving forward with so many overlapping roadwork schemes.
One frustrated road user said: “Imagine starting this when Corporation Bridge is nowhere near ready to open. What a farce. Getting around town is going to be a complete nightmare.”
Another added: “Here we go again. It’s great to see the council maintaining the roads so they don’t end up in the same state as Corporation Bridge, but why would you do it all at the same time? Stupid idea.”
Responding to the criticism, a spokesperson for the authority told Gi Grimsby News they are ‘fully aware’ of the issues surrounding major roadworks schemes, adding that the council ‘shares the frustration’ of local road users.
They asked people to “appreciate is the complexities that come with projects of this nature,” adding that due to time constraints on the funding, the A180 project needs to be completed by the spring of 2025 and therefore must begin as scheduled despite the overlap.
They said: “First of all North East Lincolnshire Council wishes to highlight that it is fully aware of the issues that come with any major highways scheme, and shares the frustration that comes with such works taking place.
“However, what it asks people to appreciate is the complexities that come with projects of this nature, especially when they involve old and historic structures (as with Corporation Bridge) and the repair and vital maintenance of bridges – as with the A180.
“The A180 work centres on the three bridges coming into Grimsby – those being the Gilbey Road and Cleethorpe Road Flyovers and the Alexandra Dock Bridge.
“As has been reported, North East Lincolnshire Council presented a solid case to the Department for Transport (DfT) for support to ensure these three structures received the attention they need to ensure their repair.
“This support was secured to the tune of £8m with the DfT recognising the importance of this road for the borough’s economic and visitor growth in the future. Without these funds the bridges’ medium and long-term future would be in doubt with the risk of complete failure or closure in the years ahead – and such a result would lead to far more serious consequences for traffic along that road.
“However, there are time constraints on the spending of that money, which means the project needs to be completed by the spring of 2025. In order for that to happen this work must start as planned. The planned timetable also factors in the least disruption possible during the summer holiday break when higher volumes of visitor traffic into Cleethorpes are anticipated, whilst also building in possible stops to work due to cold weather in the winter.
“Moving to Corporation Road Bridge. As has been reported by the authority numerous times, this is a Grade II Listed structure of great historical importance, and the current delays could not have been foreseen until the work had started and sections of the structure were revealed as being in a very bad state of disrepair.
“The authority has a statutory duty to ensure this bridge remains in complete working order with its lifting mechanism operational. Its importance was recognised by the DfT (Department for Transport), which awarded a grant of £3million to carry out the essential repairs that are now happening.
“As with any such project, work does not start and happen overnight and that is certainly the case with historic structures – the work is time-consuming and complex as is its planning.
“It should be highlighted too, that without this work taking place the road, of which the bridge is part, could have faced part or complete closure if, in future years, Corporation Road Bridge was declared unsafe. That would have caused far more traffic disruption. Likewise trying to find an alternative solution if this bridge was deemed unsafe in the future would have taken far longer and cost far more.
“We are very pleased to say that, once finished, the bridge will be fully restored – preserving this heritage structure for generations to come.”
The A180 works will start on the week beginning 26 February.
