Government approves £500m bypass facelift

A46 STRETCH TO BECOME DUAL CARRIAGEWAY AMID UPGRADES

- By OLIVER PRIDMORE

THE money has finally been confirmed for the redevelopment of a key Nottinghamshire bypass to end “nightmare” traffic with a new bridge.

Carriageways will also be widened and congested roundabouts will get upgrades under the A46 Newark bypass scheme.

Campaigners have been calling for the improvements for years, with about 15,000 vehicles using the bypass every day on average.

The scheme is predicted to cost at least £500 million, which the Government has now said it will fund. Businesses say the improvements will boost the local and regional economy.

Safety is another argument in favour of the improvements, with the volume of traffic partly to blame for the 77 vehicle collisions along the bypass from 2017 to 2021. Incidents have included the death of a 28-year-old woman in 2015, just weeks before her wedding, after a car dangerously overtook her on the bypass.