A16 bridge too far, for now

The lack of a footbridge over a soon to be expanded busy A16 junction is ‘an accident waiting to happen’, a councillor has claimed.

Coun Rob Gibson says he will continue to push for such a pedestrian crossing where the road meets the A151 near Spalding.

In June 2021 when Lincolnshire County Council announced it was bidding for £20m of government funding to increase the number of lanes leading onto and off of the A16 roundabout near McDonald’s, it initially listed a pedestrian bridge between Springfields and McDonald’s.

But the idea was quietly dropped amid worries it might hamper the bid which was announced as having been successful last October and has to be spent by 2024.

Giving an update to the county council’s Highways and Transport Committee, head of Highways Sam Edwards told the meeting that a bridge could be an option retrospectively after the current work due to start next April on the roundabouts.

“We did consider it but there’s huge engineering challenges,” he said. “We’d have definitely needed land take and planning permission.

“The statutory time frame that goes with a scheme of that nature would mean we’d fall out of the time restrictions to spend and deliver these schemes as part of the Levelling Up fund.

“What we have done as part of the scheme is improve the crossings.

“Despite the challenges of putting this in physically, this doesn’t affect this being retrospectively fitted later as a separate bid or intervention.

“There’s low levels of footfall at that junction. If that increases for any development in the future that opens up alternative funding options.”

Coun Thomas Ashton said: “I don’t see in Springfields there’s going to be a huge demand for pedestrians wanting to go across.

“I appreciate there’s a McDonald’s there but it seems more designed and aimed at vehicle traffic rather than people wandering in on foot. I am really pleased that a bridge could be fitted if needed.

“This is a major area that gets snarled up several times a day for traffic trying to get round Spalding or passed it.

“Solving that is a huge step in getting HGVs and other vehicles up to Boston to that industrial estate and roundabout.”

Coun Gibson said: “I understand moving the bridge made the bid more likely to be successful so they had to drop it as we desperately need the road improvements between this roundabout and Greencell roundabout due to the current grid lock at peak times.

“That doesn’t mean the bridge isn’t needed, as the wider layout poses more of a danger to anyone crossing it.

“I have spoken with Sam who has agreed to ensure the bridge is kept on the agenda and will be something we can look at retrospectively.

“Other funds may become available that may make this possible.

“I will continue to push for a bridge as I feel it is an accident waiting to happen, you will never stop children and teenagers wanting to meet friends at a fast food joint so we need to ensure it is safe to do so.”