Traffic to start using new section of A160
£88.4 million project to improve access to one of the UK’s busiest ports.
Traffic using the A160 near Grimsby will be switched to a new section of road as part of a £88.4 million project to improve access to one of the UK’s busiest ports.
The existing road will be closed during the next two weekends to prepare for the traffic switch which will see drivers using a new section of carriageway in an important milestone for the scheme.
The closures will enable Highways England contractors to integrate the new network into the existing road. The A180 eastbound exit slip road onto the A160 at Brocklesby Interchange will be fully closed from 10am on Friday 15 July until 6am on Monday 18 July. The A160 between Brocklesby Interchange and Eastfield Road will be fully closed from 8pm on Friday 15 July until 6am on Monday 18 July.
The same closure will be in place from 8pm on Friday 22 July until 6am on Monday 25 July, at which point vehicles will be switched from the existing network onto the new Habrough roundabout and A160.
Ben Ridgeon, Project Manager at Highways England, said:
This is another exciting milestone for the Port of Immingham scheme, which will improve access to the port and surrounding area. Once completed, traffic congestion will be reduced, journey times will become more reliable, and safety will be improved for road users and the local community.
Switching traffic to the new carriageway will enable us to bring the existing eastbound carriageway up to the same standard as the westbound, and brings the scheme’s completion a step closer.
We are advising drivers to allow extra time for their journeys during the closure, and to take care and pay attention to the new road layout on the morning of Monday 25 July.
At the designated switch over points, the road will be clearly signed and coned off and diversions will also be clearly signed during the closures. The new carriageway will operate as a two-way road rather than a dual carriageway, with a contraflow in place, until the scheme is complete.
The Highways England project will see a 3 mile section of the A160 between the A180 and the Port of Immingham upgraded to a dual carriageway along its entire length.
Improvements are also being made to junctions along the route, including a new roundabout at the junction with the A180, a new bridge over the A160 on Town Street, and a new road under the railway line by the port. The Port of Immingham supports a huge range of industries including food processing, chemical and oil refineries, processing plants and the renewable energy sectors.
It is the UK’s largest port by tonnage and handles up to 55 million tonnes of goods every year, including nearly 20 million tonnes of oil and 10 million tonnes of coal.
More details on the scheme, including a computer generated video showing how the upgraded road will look, are available at the road project website.
General enquiries
Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.
Media enquiries
Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.