A46 bypass: Consultation finds support for National Highways plans

The new bypass will fill in the dual carriageway gap on the A46

Plans for a new bypass to ease congestion on a major A-road have received the backing of the public in a consultation, National Highways has said.

The A46 Newark Bypass is expected to cost up to £500m and will fill in the dual carriageway gap between Farndon and Winthorpe, in Nottinghamshire.

National Highways, which is behind the scheme, began the survey in October.

Work on the road is due to begin in 2025.

National Highways said the road was used by 17,000 motorists every day.

It said almost two-thirds of people who had responded to its public consultation strongly agreed improvements were needed.

In addition, more than half (54%) of the 539 respondents had said they were either very satisfied or satisfied with the proposals.

More than 70% of respondents said they were either extremely dissatisfied or dissatisfied with congestion levels, while 51% said they were extremely dissatisfied or dissatisfied with the current layout.

What are the plans?

National Highways launched the consultation in October

• A flyover junction at Cattle Market with the A46, elevated to pass over the roundabout. This will separate through traffic from local traffic

• Winthorpe junction will be enlarged to a five-arm roundabout with traffic lights to connect the new A46 link

• A short section of new dual carriageway over the A1, including slip roads to Brownhills roundabout and a new bridge to the north of the existing A46 bridge over the A1

• A new single-lane carriageway between Friendly Farmer and Winthorpe roundabouts providing links to the A17, A1 and Newark

• Adding traffic lights to Farndon junction to improve flows during peak hours

National Highways senior project manager Phil Boffey said: "We would like to thank all the people who took the time to respond to our public consultation.

"Considering the views of those affected by the scheme is very important, and we are working hard to ensure we can design and deliver a scheme that benefits everyone.

"Feedback has already helped to inform some design changes. We'll be carrying out targeted consultations with statutory consultees and affected landowners. We'll share further details on this soon."

The final design will be submitted in an application for a Development Consent Order to the Planning Inspectorate.

The scheme will then be examined and a recommendation made to the transport secretary, who will decide whether it will go ahead or not.

The application is expected to be submitted this summer.

National Highways said the scheme would help to create a continuous dual carriageway from Lincoln to Warwick, as well as easing congestion on the outskirts of Newark.