Grantham Southern Relief Road faces delays due to design error, new images show bridge progress. Completion is now expected in 2026.
A design error caused a 12-month delay. The bridge flaw involved the River Witham and the East Coast Main Line. The road should have opened in 2025, but the project is now expected to finish in 2026. Costs rose by £10-20 million, bringing the total cost to £158-168 million.
The council will sue to recover the extra costs, as they still plan to finish the project. Councillor Richard Davies stated his annoyance and emphasized that the road is near completion. Safety comes first, so they stopped work to fix the design problem.
Davies said they did all they could and feels they were let down. This project moves the A52 from central Grantham. The new road costs over £100 million; the A52 always has heavy traffic. This road will help ease Grantham’s traffic jams. He said the bridge is the last piece.
The design flaw involved wind conditions during the bridge install. They needed to redesign it to reduce vibrations and minimize rail closures. The bridge install will take months, and they will then build the structure’s east side. This includes lifting new steel beams.