Highways and infrastructure projects with a £495m price tag have been mooted by a Lincolnshire MP.
Richard Tice, who represents Boston and Skegness for Reform UK, said he has chosen to put forward his own plans to dual the A16 from Boston to Peterborough.
He also wants to build a Boston bypass and deliver various rail improvements, including linking Boston more directly to Spalding, writes Local Democracy Reporter James Turner.
Mr Tice presented the range of projects to a room full of party colleagues and council leaders at Boston Rugby Club on Tuesday morning.
“Most people would probably admit that South Lincolnshire has had a bit of a rum deal in infrastructure spend compared to elsewhere in Lincolnshire and the East Midlands region,” he said.
“The thing about building is you have to put the infrastructure in first. You have got to put the foundations in, you’ve got to put the services in, but you have got to put the roads and network in because that attracts investment,” he said.
Mr Tice, deputy leader of the Reform UK party, said that building without infrastructure doesn’t go well.
The first proposal revisits the idea of a bypass around Boston.
But dualling the A16 between Boston and Peterborough aims to tackle congestion and road safety concerns.
Between January 2013 and December 2023, there were 242 collisions on that stretch, resulting in 341 casualties and 17 fatalities.
The total cost of the project is predicted at £273m.
Rail improvements come in at £23.4m with a freight upgrade at £42.2m.
The MP said he didn’t have a billion in his back pocket, but steps were outlined to move forward.
“We are putting our case here to the mayor and to the county council.
“I’m saying these are opportunities for small pieces of funding to do the detailed analysis. You do it step by step, and if you get through the first step, then you justify getting to the next step,” said the MP.
No mention was made of funding for Spalding’s Western Relief Road which remains incomplete.
