By Council issue update on Cycle Superhighway roadworks
North East Lincolnshire Council has issued an update on the roadworks to construct the £2.6 million Cycle Superhighway on the A180.
The traffic management barriers have now been removed on the A180’s eastbound carriageway, and there are still some final works which need to be completed to extend the height of the safety barrier on the A180 flyover as it reaches the Lockhill roundabout.
This will result in a single lane closure on the bridge during off-peak times between 9.30am and 3.30pm on Monday to Friday, beginning on Monday 28 June and taking up to two weeks.
On the Lockhill roundabout, a two-lane approach will be maintained.
Works on the westbound carriageway are continuing, and are expected to finish in the middle of July.
The statement from North East Lincolnshire Council reads: “It is hoped that by closing the lane with cones only at times when work is being carried out that this will help traffic flow when the contractor is not on site working and during weekends when the two lanes can once again be reopened.
“The first section of the £2.6m project will then be complete.
“The full project will see a total of 3.8km of new off-road cycleway constructed to give cyclists a safe and sustainable route across the South Humber Bank to access work and training facilities.
“£2.2m of the funding came from the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership (GLLEP), with £400,000 contributed by the council and private sector.
This update follows the Cycle Superhighway scheme coming under fire by several local road users.
Questions are being raised on whether or not the superhighway will be popular enough to justify the cost of the project and the time taken to complete it.
Road users are commenting that “hardly any” cyclists are using the separate lane which has been cordoned off for their use while the roadworks take place – raising the concerns on whether or not enough cyclists will use the superhighway upon its completion.
Last week, a road user who uses the A180 every day commented: “It’s really frustrating being sat in traffic for 25 minutes each way every day when there’s an entire lane available for cyclists that isn’t being used. I’ve seen hardly anyone working on the project, and I fear that many cyclists won’t even use the superhighway.”
Another person said: “I drive to and from Grimsby from Scunthorpe once a week for work, and I’ve never seen a single cyclist using the separate lane. The roadworks are a big inconvenience.
“I just don’t see the point in all this money being spent on something that isn’t really needed.”
