County pledges £47m for Lincoln Eastern Bypass project

Lincolnshire County Council has agreed to invest £47m in an eastern ring road in Lincoln.

A proposal for the bypass, which will cost about £97m, will be sent to the government for consideration.

County councillors agreed to funding for the project, which has been in the pipeline for more than 20 years, at a meeting on Monday.

Councillor William Webb of the Tory-led authority said the project would boost the local economy.

Ease congestion

Councillor Webb said: "It has implications for the whole of the county and for North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire - it is going to have a tremendous effect on the economic prosperity of the county and the surrounding area."

The Department for Transport which recently moved the project into its development pool, has said it is aware of the need for the road but can only afford to fund a single, not dual carriageway.

The government will make a final decision on the scheme by the end of 2011.