National Highways has issued a major update on the £500 million upgrade of a busy Nottinghamshire road that would add extra lanes and a flyover to ease traffic problems.
The highways body says Government officials are "just over half-way" through examining the A46 Newark Bypass's Development Consent Order (DCO), a permit that allows the construction and maintenance of major infrastructure projects.
The highways authority has said this process is due to conclude in April 2025, after which examiners will write their report and submit it to the Secretary of State for Transport, who will make the decision about whether to grant permission to build the road. The expensive transformation would create a new flyover and turn parts of the single-lane road north of Newark into a dual carriageway.
It is hoped this would ease the congestion that residents say often dominates the streets around the town. The road is currently a single carriageway from Farndon Roundabout to the south of the town to Castle Market Roundabout, and from Castle Market Roundabout to Brownhills Roundabout, to the north of the town.
A spokesperson for National Highways explained it was continuing to work on preparation works for the road, despite an ongoing Department for Transport spending review. "While the review is ongoing, we’re continuing with our work on the scheme," the representative said.
"During the next few months, we’re due to commence survey works across the breadth of the project, gathering more data to support ecology and archaeology. You’re likely to see our teams in high vis working at locations near the proposed road development between March and September 2025."
In the past, people living nearby have expressed worries that flooding may worsen locally if the project goes ahead. At a special planning meeting, held on October 14, neighbours voiced widespread support for the scheme but also raised concerns over possible flooding.
There are “massive concerns” about the bypass being built on a floodplain, senior planning officer Lynsey Preston told the meeting. While compensation areas would be built to the north and south for flood water to go instead, it’s “unclear when they will be in place or if they’re sufficient," she said.
“We don’t want development in the autumn or winter on the floodplain and the water has nowhere to go." Councillor Emma Oldham (Green) added: “I’m incredibly nervous about flooding. That area is one of the first places to go [during heavy rain], you can see the water rising close to the roads.”
She also asked if there would be compensation for the small group of residents who found themselves living next to a flyover after the road is built. Councillor Keith Melton (Lib Dem) said he was “torn” between the economic benefits and the risk of flooding.
“We’ve been told some of the earth will be coming from Kelham fields. My ward has ten miles of Trent riverbank – more low-lying areas are a real concern,” he said.
Areas around Newark and the Trent Valley suffered from severe flooding last winter as Storm Babet and Henk brought downpours. If approved, construction on the bypass would begin next year and would be complete by 2030.
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