The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
Businesses in Pinchbeck’s Enterprise Way have been left dismayed at more delays to work surrounding the Spalding Western Relief Road.
The road was initially only meant to close for six weeks in July and the closure of Spalding Road carried out after it was opened.
Following delays the length of closure was then pushed back to October.
Now Lincolnshire County Council has said it will close Spalding Road at the same time as Enterprise Way and neither will be open until mid-November.
A spokesman for Lincolnshire County Council said: “Works on the Enterprise Way junction have been taken slightly longer than expected due to the need to move utilities required to build the junction and the wait for utility company availability for this.
“By finishing both sets of work on November 12 we’ll be able to fully open the roundabout, minimising disruption to the area. Otherwise, we would require further closures to complete this set of works.”
When work on the most northerly section of the relief road was started in June 2020 it was stated the work would take 20 months and be finished around now, but there looks set to be at least another year of work ahead.
Businesses that welcome customers on Enterprise Way are now facing the road being closed for up to four months.
Vernon Gay, of Heroes Gym, said: “There’s lots of small businesses down here and it affects us all massively.
“There’s a lot of factors at the moment including rising costs, so it’s hard to tell what’s what, but the lack of footfall along the road can not help us.
“It’s also affecting everyone’s day to day lives around here.
“At the end of the day this is all about the big companies making millions from building houses and not about small buildings like ourselves.
“Yes, we’ll benefit when those people move in and we’re well established so we’ll be able to get through it, but there’s also no infrastructure likes doctors and dentists for those.”
Mohamed Khaled, of Pinchbeck Car Wash, said: “They really don’t know what they’re doing.
“First it was going to be six weeks and open mid September, then they said mid-October, now it’s mid-November.
“I spoke to them only two or three days ago and they told me it would reopen in mid-October.
“It’s doing my head in.
“We’re only a small business in Enterprise Way and some weeks our takings have been down 80 per cent.”
Ben Westlake said his industrial suppliers Kawstore on Edison Court hadn’t seen a drop in business, but staff were experiencing day to day issues.
“Initially they put the signs at Morrison’s saying the road was closed there which had an affect, but we and others complained so those were moved.
“The problem was summed up on Friday evening (September 23) when a broken down lorry caused traffic problems all through town with all the roads closed.
“My sister lives in Peterborough and it took her an hour and 45 minutes to get home from Spalding.”
Spalding Road will be closed from 7pm to 6am, weekday evenings only, starting on Monday, October 17 for four weeks.
Outside of the evening closures, two-way traffic management will be in place to allow Spalding Road to remain open.
The diversion route for the night-time closures will be via Spalding Road/B1180/A16/A151/West Elloe Avenue /B1356, and vice versa.
