The bridge that went wrong: Lincs project faces second 'error' delay

17/02/2025 | CHRIS AMES AND STEVE MENARY

The bridge that went wrong: Lincs project faces second 'error' delay

A £150m road being built for Lincolnshire County Council will be delayed again and see another cost increase, due to a second alleged error in the design of a bridge.

The bridge over the River Witham and the East Coast Main Line is part of the third phase of the Grantham Southern Relief Road being built by Galliford Try.

The highway authority said the project is now expected to be complete in 2026 following a design error related to the installation method of the bridge.

It said the ‘supplier error’ could add an extra £20m to the project, which is currently costed at £148m. This would take it to around double the original cost. 

The council said that on learning about the issue, it had demanded a solution and is seeking to recoup the additional costs.

Cllr Richard Davies, executive member for highways, said the error ‘related to the how the bridge was to be installed and us being told it couldn’t be pushed into place as intended due to concerns relating to specific wind conditions’.

He said: ‘The complexities of designing and constructing this relief road, particularly this bridge, are far beyond what we as a council can do directly.

‘That’s why top international engineering companies and experienced contractors were entrusted to handle the project. Although we oversee the scheme as a whole, we rely on our suppliers’ combined expertise.

‘When undertaking a project of the magnitude, all design work also undergoes a mandatory, additional layer of independent checking. Unfortunately, despite all of this, a mistake was made along the way that’s led to this new delay.’

Cllr Davies’ reference to a new delay reflects the fact that the completion of the project had already been put back from an earlier completion date of 2023 after what the council called an ‘unexpected engineering issue’.

In July 2022, it announced that the site team had identified a section of soft, unstable ground where the new bridge was being built, which would require increasing the length of the bridge to avoid the unstable ground.

At that time, Cllr Davies said the council was working with bridge designer WSP ‘to determine the cause of this issue and why it wasn't accounted for when WSP designed the foundations for the bridge’.

He said at that time: ‘The co-ordination of the ground investigation information and the subsequent design of the bridge was and is the responsibility of the bridge designer, WSP.’

In November 2002, Cllr Davies was ‘happy to update that we’re now well underway with installing the first three of six new bridge piers that are part of the structure’s redesign’.

The £3.5km relief road was priced at £81.5m in 2018, with phase 3 estimated to cost around £44m but a year later the projected cost had risen by 25% to £102m.

WSP has been approached for comment. 

Image credit: Lincs CC

Highways InProfile

latest magazine issue
Highways jobs

Senior Civil Engineer - Major Projects x 4

£45,894.00 - £54,952.00
We are looking for experienced engineers to help us progress a number of key projects and programmes Glasgow, Glasgow City
Recruiter: Transport Scotland

Technician - Maintenance

£31001.0000 - £36471.0000 per annum
Essex Highways is responsible for managing and maintaining one of the largest highway networks in the country
Recruiter: Essex County Council

Highways Contract Engineer

£46,731 - £49,764
The team helps provide a safe road network that operates efficiently and effectively.  Northamptonshire
Recruiter: North Northamptonshire Council

Principal Transport Planner

£46,731 - £49,764 (pro-rata)
We are looking for an experienced professional to join us on a six-month temporary contact as a Principal Transport Planner. Kettering, Northamptonshire
Recruiter: North Northamptonshire Council

Highways Maintenance Operative

£Competitive
We have a fantastic opportunity for a Permanent Highways Maintenance Operative Broughton, Brigg
Recruiter: Amey

Head of Highways Contracts & Network

£81,803 progressing to £90,664 per annum
The team includes approximately 60 directly employed HCC people Hertfordshire
Recruiter: Hertfordshire County Council

Principal Construction Manager

£Competitive
We are excited to offer a fantastic opportunity for a Permanent Principal Construction Manager Yorkshire and the Humber
Recruiter: Amey

Quality Technician

£Competitive
We are excited to offer a fantastic opportunity for a Permanent Quality Technician Yorkshire and the Humber
Recruiter: Amey

Senior Highway Engineer (Development Management)

£42679.0000 - £50211.0000 per annum
Senior Highway Engineer (Development Management)Permanent, Full Time£43,960 to £51,718 per annum*Location
Recruiter: Essex County Council

Project Manager (Major Projects)

£44,711 - £47,754
Are you an experienced project professional or engineer with looking to take the next step in your career? Halifax, West Yorkshire
Recruiter: Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council

Senior Civil Engineer - Roads

£45,894 - £54,952
Are you an experienced engineer looking to support the Scottish Government’s national objectives. Scotland
Recruiter: Transport Scotland

Senior Civil Engineering Technician

Grade 7 £29,093 to £32,654 per annum
We are looking for a flexible individual who has the ability to meet targets and analyse and resolve complex technical problems and formulate a design Durham
Recruiter: Durham County Council

Project Team Manager

£55,147 to £60,676 per annum
We are pleased to be able to offer an opportunity for a role as Design Team Manager Norwich, Norfolk
Recruiter: Norfolk County Council

Clerk of Works

GRADE 08 (£37,938 - £41,511)
Warrington is one of the most successful towns in the country Warrington, Cheshire
Recruiter: Warrington Borough Council

Assistant Projects Engineer

GRADE 06 (£29,093 - £32,654),GRADE 07 (£33,366 - £37,035), GRADE 08 (£37,938 - £41,511)
Warrington is one of the most successful towns in the country Warrington, Cheshire
Recruiter: Warrington Borough Council

Principal Engineer - Traffic Management

£45,718 - £48,710 per annum
At Bath & North East Somerset Council we have one overriding purpose – to improve people’s lives. Bath, Somerset
Recruiter: Bath & North East Somerset Council

Vehicle Technician - Improver

£28,624 - £30,060
Transport Services is responsible for all aspects of transport and related services Huddersfield, West Yorkshire
Recruiter: Kirklees Metropolitan Council

Programme Delivery Office Administrator

Grade 9 £31,344 - £33,253 per annum
At Derbyshire, we have been on a journey to transform the way we deliver highway services to make them fit for the future Derbyshire
Recruiter: Derbyshire County Council

Support Officer - Highways Asset Management Systems

£31,586 - £34,314
We are a forward-thinking organisation dedicated to maintaining and improving our highway infrastructure. Lincolnshire
Recruiter: Lincolnshire County Council

Principal Transport Planner (Strategy)

£46,731-£49,764
We are looking for an experienced professional to join North Northamptonshire Council as a Principal Transport Planner (Strategy). Sheerness House, 41 Meadow Road, Kettering moving to Haylock House, Kettering Parkway, Kettering NN15 6EY, United Kingdom
Recruiter: North Northamptonshire Council
SUBSCRIBE NOW

Latest Video

Subscribe to Highways today to ensure you keep your finger on the pulse of everything happening in the UK road network throughout the year.

SUBSCRIBE NOW