Traffic to be diverted via LINCOLN to avoid roadworks on the A17

The resurfacing and reconstruction works west of Beckingham, close to the Nottinghamshire border, will start on Monday November 20, say county highways officials.

The total programme of works is expected to last for three weeks, subject to reasonable weather conditions, and will be carried out at night with the road closed between 8pm and 6am, Monday to Friday.

Local access to Beckingham village will be maintained throughout the works from Sutton Road to the south and Sleaford Road to the east, says the council.

But the signed diversion route will be from Holdingham roundabout north to Lincoln, turning onto the A1434/Newark Road and following the A46 back to the A17 at Newark, or vice versa.

This ignores other A-road alternatives such as the A607 and A153 to Grantham and up the A1. But a highways spokesperson said: “When planning diversion routes for our works, we can only direct people along like-for-like roads. So, because the A17 will be closed, we can only point road users to other A-roads.

“This is to avoid having large vehicles from causing damage to smaller roads or potentially getting stuck and causing disruption to people living in the area. The chosen diversion can cater to night-time traffic better than alternative A-road routes, which is why the diversion for these works was identified. It is also slightly shorter than other options, so more convenient for road users.”

“We realise this will be an inconvenience for those traveling in the evening and overnight, but we’ve planned these works in such a way so that there is no disruption to the A17 during the day, which would affect thousands more.”

Coun Richard Davies, Executive Member for Highways, added: “We encourage road users to take note of and use the signed diversion, as this is the most suitable and safest route to follow to get from point A to B during the works.”

He said the A17 is one of the county’s busiest roads and the surface is nearing the end of its serviceable life, adding: “We will do everything we can to minimise disruption and ask for your continued patience while these works are carried out.

For up-to-date information about this and other roadworks, visit www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/roadworks.