A18 works finish early as road reopening is scheduled

North East Lincolnshire Council and its delivery partner, Equans, are pleased to announce an early reopening of the A18 Barton Street from tomorrow, (Thursday 10 August).

The carriageway resurfacing and routine maintenance works, which started on Monday 17 July and were due to finish the evening of Friday 11 August, will now end ahead of schedule tomorrow night (Thursday 10 August) – subject to weather conditions.

The works have seen a week of annual routine maintenance, including drainage repairs and cleaning, sign cleaning, and hedge cutting.

Following that, they focused on the resurfacing of the carriageway between Laceby Manor and Barnoldby Le Beck roundabout. This was carried out by contractor Tarmac Trading Ltd.

Peter Chamberlain, contracts manager for Tarmac Trading said: “This surface has a life span of about 20 years and will be able to withstand the change to traffic on the road. 

“Today, loads on roads are much heavier than they have been in the past, and the tonnage of trucks is much greater.  There is also a difference to weather cycles – last year was very warm while this year we have had a lot of rain.

“While the equipment we use to do the roads hasn’t changed much, the science creating the materials has, subsequently creating more efficient road surfaces with greater longevity.”

North East Lincolnshire Council’s Portfolio Holder for Environment and Transport Cllr Stewart Swinburn was joined by Leader Cllr Philip Jackson on the A18 as the resurfacing neared its completion.

Cllr Swinburn said: “When you come here on site and speak to those undertaking the work and the reasons for it, it’s clear this will significantly improve this very busy road. This highway is carrying increasing amounts of heavy traffic from families visiting the east coast, to farm machinery and lorries.

“We simply must ensure, as much as possible, the safety of all those who use it. Whilst we understand that such works may have caused slight inconvenience, we are sure everyone understands the importance of them and it’s great to hear of the earlier than planned re-opening,” he added.

Main Picture shows North East Lincolnshire Council Leader, Cllr Philip Jackson (right), and Portfolio Holder for Environment and Transport Cllr Stewart Swinburn, who were joined on Barton Street by Equans’ Operations Director Paul Thorpe.