Skegness road closes due to defects just months after reopening

Work on the £4.8m Roman Bank project, which included replacing a worn-out carriageway, was completed in April

A major route in Skegness has closed again just months after reopening after it was discovered some of the newly laid road surfacing was not up to scratch.

Work on the £4.8m Roman Bank project, which included replacing a worn-out carriageway, was completed in April.

But Lincolnshire County Council said tests showed some of the work had not met its "stringent standards".

A full road closure is expected to be in place for three weeks.

Karen Cassar, assistant director for highways, said: "We always carry out tests to ensure newly laid road surfacing meets the high standards we expect.

"Unfortunately, the top 100mm of surfacing laid last spring between the A158 Burgh Road signalised junction to just outside Micronclean on Roman Bank hasn't met the stringent quality requirements we specified in our designs.

"As a result, our contractor will be removing and re-laying this top layer of tarmac as part of our contract with them."

She said the work, carried out at the contractor's expense, would prevent further disruption down the line and "ensure that this section of road is durable enough to deal with the high levels of traffic Skegness sees in the summer".

The council said sections of the newly-laid road surface were not up to standard

Richard Fenwick, head of highways asset and local management services, told BBC Radio Lincolnshire the situation was far from "ideal".

The project, which started in September 2020, also experienced a number of other delays, including unexpected utility diversions, wet and snowy weather and some supply problems.

Mr Fenwick said the council wanted to avoid causing "this frustration to the public again", adding that he was sorry for the closure.

However, he said he was confident it would be "right this time".

The road closure will be in place on weekdays between 07:30 BST and 17:00 BST, with the carriageway opened to traffic at a weekend, the authority said.

Pedestrian access to businesses and residents will be maintained at all times.