Dual carriageway push for Lincoln Eastern Bypass

The new Lincoln Eastern Bypass could be a dual carriageway if the government paid for the work, the Lincolnshire County Council leader has said.

The project was originally planned as a dual carriageway but was downgraded to a single road during spending cuts.

Councillor Martin Hill said he was to lobby the government for more money to make the road double-laned again.

Building a dual carriageway bypass could cost about £140m; a single road would cost almost £96m.

The long-awaited project, due to start in 2015, is intended to ease congestion and free up acres of land for development.

The government has agreed to provide £50m towards the £96m single carriageway project, with £13.6m coming from Lincolnshire County Council and £32m in developer contributions.

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