Lincolnshire bypass 'could bring 30,000 jobs'

Up to 30,000 new jobs could be generated over the next 15 years by the construction of the Lincoln Eastern Bypass, the county council has said.

The government has agreed to provide £50m towards the £96m cost of building the new road.

The new stretch will allow traffic from the south of the county to reach the north without travelling through the city centre.

The authority said the road could put millions into the local economy.

Lincolnshire County Council figures predict up to 30,000 new jobs could be created by 2026 followed by a further 11,000 after that.

Stagnant economy

Paul Coatup, assistant director for highways and transportation, said: "The jobs themselves would be spread around existing employers and obviously some new employment generated because of economic activity.

"There's housing that could be developed and extra activity within the city centre.

"There's really quite a lot of suppressed demand for a growing Lincoln area which I think will be released by the construction of the bypass."

The new stretch will join the current A46 bypass near Bunkers Hill, then loop around the city to the A15 at Bracebridge Heath.

Simon Beardsley, chief executive of Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce, said: "As we look at it today, jobless figures look like they're increasing and the economy is looking fairly stagnant.

"So to have predictions of those sorts of levels of jobs in the future is certainly very positive."

The scheme will cost nearly £96m, with £50m coming from the government, £13.6m from the county council and £32m in developer contributions.

The council said it hoped to start construction in 2014.