A16 road
Encyclopedia
The A16 road is a principal road of Lincolnshire
in the East Midlands
region of England, connecting the port of Grimsby
and Peterborough, where it meets the A1175
, A47
& A1139 then on to the A1 and the A605
the latter, in turn, giving a through route to Northampton
and the west, and south west of England. Its length is 85 miles (136.8 km).
From north to south its route is:
Although it has 'primary route' designation for its entire length virtually none of the A16 is dual carriageway
and there are speed restrictions on much of it.
The 1 miles (1.6 km) £1.2 million Ludborough
Bypass opened in November 1992. The 1 miles (1.6 km) Fotherby
Bypass opened in 2004. The 3 miles (4.8 km) £6.6 million Louth Bypass opened in August 1991. The 1 miles (1.6 km) Partney Bypass opened in August 2005. From West Keal to Boston, the road is very flat. The 1 miles (1.6 km) £1 million Stickford
Bypass opened in October 1992. The £1.4 million Boston Inner Relief Road opened in early 1978. There are demands for Boston to be bypassed. The 6 miles (9.7 km) £11.5 million Boston-Algarkirk
Diversion opened in October 1991. The 11 miles (17.7 km) £23 million Spalding-Sutterton
Improvement (the Spalding Bypass) opened in August 1995.
.
This new section replaced the A1073 road, a road that ran between the former A16 at 52°45.5262′N 0°9.6174′W 1.3 kilometre (0.807784557644749 mi) south of Spalding
in Lincolnshire
and the A47 between Eye
and Eye Green
at 52°36.7206′N 0°11.1378′W in Cambridgeshire
.
The A1073 route had become increasingly dangerous over the years because traffic usage had increased. It was narrow with many blind corners and slopes, and much of it was on an embankment with deep ditches either side and no run-off areas. There were dangerous junctions, particularly with the B1443 between Peakirk and Thorney
, which formed a staggered crossroads
. The road was a principal route servicing the food-processing industry in Spalding, bringing in supplies and moving products to the supermarket
distribution system to the south.
An upgrade to the route had been under discussion for many years. The main hold-up was arguments over funding between Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire and the Department for Transport
, exacerbated by the actions of a former Leader of Lincolnshire County Council who went to jail for seeking to influence the route to his own financial advantage. Eventually a route was agreed, avoiding Cowbit
and Crowland
and joining the A47 west of Eye
, and in 2008 construction work began, originally due to be completed by Autumn 2010.
The Northern 13.4 kilometres (8.3 mi) of the new route opened between Spalding and the roundabout south of Crowland in Autumn 2010, with the opening of the Southern 7.7 kilometres (4.8 mi) delayed due to structural problems at the embankment at Car Dyke
Bridge. On completion of remedial repairs and the opening of the Southern portion on 16 October 2011, the new road was renumbered to form part of the A16; the original A1073 alignment between Spalding and Eye Green became an unclassified local road.
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
in the East Midlands
East Midlands
The East Midlands is one of the regions of England, consisting of most of the eastern half of the traditional region of the Midlands. It encompasses the combined area of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Northamptonshire and most of Lincolnshire...
region of England, connecting the port of Grimsby
Grimsby
Grimsby is a seaport on the Humber Estuary in Lincolnshire, England. It has been the administrative centre of the unitary authority area of North East Lincolnshire since 1996...
and Peterborough, where it meets the A1175
A1175 road
The A1175 road is a public highway in south-west Lincolnshire, England within the United Kingdom.It was previously designated as the southern section of the A16, but is being re-classified as the A1175 in early August 2010 following the completion of the new Peterborough to Spalding A16 section.The...
, A47
A47 road
The A47 is a trunk road in England originally linking Birmingham to Great Yarmouth. Most of the section between Birmingham and Nuneaton is now classified as the B4114.-Route:...
& A1139 then on to the A1 and the A605
A605 road
The A605 road is a main road in the English counties of Northamptonshire and Cambridgeshire.-Route :The A605 strikes north from junction 13 of the trunk A14 road through the eastern parts of Thrapston, skirts the village of Thorpe Waterville, bypasses Oundle to its east, crosses the River Nene,...
the latter, in turn, giving a through route to Northampton
Northampton
Northampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. Situated about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, Northampton lies on the River Nene and is the county town of Northamptonshire. The demonym of Northampton is...
and the west, and south west of England. Its length is 85 miles (136.8 km).
From north to south its route is:
- Grimsby
- UtterbyUtterbyUtterby is a village and civil parish located on the A16 from Grimsby to Louth in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England.Utterby railway station , on the line between Grimsby and Louth, closed in 1961....
- LouthLouth, LincolnshireLouth is a market town and civil parish within the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England.-Geography:Known as the "capital of the Lincolnshire Wolds", it is situated where the ancient trackway Barton Street crosses the River Lud, and has a total resident population of 15,930.The Greenwich...
(now bypassed) - BurwellBurwell, LincolnshireBurwell is a small village in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England, lying on the A16 north of Spilsby. The village covers approximately 2200 acres .A village now, Burwell was a medieval market town....
- WalmsgateWalmsgateWalmsgate is a hamlet in the civil parish of Burwell, in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England.The lost village of Walmsgate is mentioned in 1377. A priest was last instituted about 1435, and eight families remained in 1563. The small church was still standing in the early 17th century...
- DalbyDalby, LincolnshireDalby is a village and civil parish located about north of the town of Spilsby, Lincolnshire, England.Dalby church is dedicated to Saint Lawrence and Bishop Edward King, and is a Grade II listed building built in 1862 by James Fowler of Louth to replace an earlier church.The font dates from the...
- PartneyPartneyPartney is a small village, around 3 miles north of Spilsby in the Lincolnshire Wolds. This village was the birth place of Henry Stubbe, the noted seventeenth century thinker.-Transport links:...
(now bypassed) - SpilsbySpilsbySpilsby is a market town and civil parish in Lincolnshire. England. The town is situated adjacent to the main A16 Trunk Road at the southern edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds north of the Fenlands, east of the county town of Lincoln, north east of Boston and north west from Skegness.The town has...
- East KealEast KealEast Keal is a village and civil parish on the edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds, about north of the town of Boston and south of the town of Spilsby, in the county of Lincolnshire, England....
- Keal CotesKeal CotesKeal Cotes, forming part of West Keal parish, is a small linear village in the English county of Lincolnshire located on the A16 road one mile south of West Keal and one mile north of Stickford...
- StickfordStickfordStickford is a village and civil parish located near the A16 road, about south west of the town of Spilsby, in the East Lindsey district, of the county of Lincolnshire, England.Stickford is recorded in the Domesday Book as Stichesforde....
- StickneyStickney, LincolnshireStickney is a civil parish and linear village lying along the A16 road in the middle of the Fens, just east of New Bolingbroke in Lincolnshire, England, in the district of East Lindsey....
- SibseySibseySibsey is a civil parish and village on the A16 road and B1184 in the English county of Lincolnshire, north of Boston in the district of East Lindsey. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 1,996. Sibsey Northlands is to the north of the village...
- Hilldyke
- BostonBoston, LincolnshireBoston is a town and small port in Lincolnshire, on the east coast of England. It is the largest town of the wider Borough of Boston local government district and had a total population of 55,750 at the 2001 census...
- WybertonWybertonWyberton is a village in Lincolnshire, England. It is just south-west of Boston, and runs into it along the B1397 between Boston and Kirton. The A16 along the former East Lincolnshire railway bisecting the village in two....
- KirtonKirton, LincolnshireKirton, or Kirton in Holland is a village and civil parish within the Borough of Boston, in Lincolnshire, England.-Geography:Kirton is on the A16, B1397 and B1192 south of Boston, near Frampton and Sutterton. Several satellite villages and hamlets take their name from Kirton, including Kirton...
(now bypassed) - SurfleetSurfleetSurfleet is a small village on the Lincolnshire fens, situated on the River Glen about five miles north of Spalding.The population is about 1,266 people, many of whom commute to regional populations centres such as Spalding, Boston and Peterborough....
- PinchbeckPinchbeck, LincolnshirePinchbeck is a village near Spalding in Lincolnshire, England. The name Pinchbeck is derived from either the Old English pinc+bece or pinca+bece ....
(now bypassed) - SpaldingSpalding, LincolnshireSpalding is a market town with a population of 30,000 on the River Welland in the South Holland district of Lincolnshire, England. Little London is a hamlet directly south of Spalding on the B1172 road....
(now bypassed) - Crowland, Lincolnshire
- Peterborough
Although it has 'primary route' designation for its entire length virtually none of the A16 is dual carriageway
Dual carriageway
A dual carriageway is a class of highway with two carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation...
and there are speed restrictions on much of it.
The 1 miles (1.6 km) £1.2 million Ludborough
Ludborough
Ludborough is a village in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It lies at the end of the A18 road. Ludborough has a population of 760 people. The Prime Meridian passes to the east of the village....
Bypass opened in November 1992. The 1 miles (1.6 km) Fotherby
Fotherby
Fotherby is a village and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It lies just east off the A16, east of Market Rasen and south of Cleethorpes....
Bypass opened in 2004. The 3 miles (4.8 km) £6.6 million Louth Bypass opened in August 1991. The 1 miles (1.6 km) Partney Bypass opened in August 2005. From West Keal to Boston, the road is very flat. The 1 miles (1.6 km) £1 million Stickford
Stickford
Stickford is a village and civil parish located near the A16 road, about south west of the town of Spilsby, in the East Lindsey district, of the county of Lincolnshire, England.Stickford is recorded in the Domesday Book as Stichesforde....
Bypass opened in October 1992. The £1.4 million Boston Inner Relief Road opened in early 1978. There are demands for Boston to be bypassed. The 6 miles (9.7 km) £11.5 million Boston-Algarkirk
Algarkirk
Algarkirk is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Boston in Lincolnshire, England, south-south-west of Boston near the A16. Some people spell the village Algakirk. It has a population of 406.-History:...
Diversion opened in October 1991. The 11 miles (17.7 km) £23 million Spalding-Sutterton
Sutterton
Sutterton is a village and rural parish in Lincolnshire. It won a Best Kept Village award in 2005.Sutterton lies approximately seven miles south-south-west of Boston, near the junction of the A16 and A17, and on the B1397 . To the north is Kirton...
Improvement (the Spalding Bypass) opened in August 1995.
Spalding-Peterborough route change
The route of the A16 has changed following the completion of the new Spalding-Peterborough link road. The section between Spalding to the south of Crowland only, opened in August 2010; the remainder was completed in October 2011. The new route has taken the number A16, effectively linking the route with Peterborough, with the current road from Spalding to Stamford becoming the A1175A1175 road
The A1175 road is a public highway in south-west Lincolnshire, England within the United Kingdom.It was previously designated as the southern section of the A16, but is being re-classified as the A1175 in early August 2010 following the completion of the new Peterborough to Spalding A16 section.The...
.
This new section replaced the A1073 road, a road that ran between the former A16 at 52°45.5262′N 0°9.6174′W 1.3 kilometre (0.807784557644749 mi) south of Spalding
Spalding, Lincolnshire
Spalding is a market town with a population of 30,000 on the River Welland in the South Holland district of Lincolnshire, England. Little London is a hamlet directly south of Spalding on the B1172 road....
in Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
and the A47 between Eye
Eye, Cambridgeshire
Eye is a village in the unitary authority area of Peterborough in England, south of Crowland and Eye Green. It was formerly in the Soke of Peterborough in Northamptonshire....
and Eye Green
Eye Green
Eye Green is a village in the unitary authority of Peterborough in England. It lies north of Eye and south of Crowland.Eye Green Nature Reserve abounds the A47 Trunk Road which separated Eye Green from its sister village of Eye....
at 52°36.7206′N 0°11.1378′W in Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
.
The A1073 route had become increasingly dangerous over the years because traffic usage had increased. It was narrow with many blind corners and slopes, and much of it was on an embankment with deep ditches either side and no run-off areas. There were dangerous junctions, particularly with the B1443 between Peakirk and Thorney
Thorney, Cambridgeshire
Thorney is a village about 8 miles east of Peterborough in the City of Peterborough unitary authority, England, on the A47. Historically it was part of the Isle of Ely, which was considered part of Cambridgeshire but was transferred into the former county of Huntingdon and Peterborough and...
, which formed a staggered crossroads
Crossroads (culture)
In folk magic and mythology, crossroads may represent a location "between the worlds" and, as such, a site where supernatural spirits can be contacted and paranormal events can take place...
. The road was a principal route servicing the food-processing industry in Spalding, bringing in supplies and moving products to the supermarket
Supermarket
A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
distribution system to the south.
An upgrade to the route had been under discussion for many years. The main hold-up was arguments over funding between Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire and the Department for Transport
Department for Transport
In the United Kingdom, the Department for Transport is the government department responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which are not devolved...
, exacerbated by the actions of a former Leader of Lincolnshire County Council who went to jail for seeking to influence the route to his own financial advantage. Eventually a route was agreed, avoiding Cowbit
Cowbit
Cowbit is a village and civil parish in the South Holland district of Lincolnshire, England. It lies South of Spalding and North of Crowland....
and Crowland
Crowland
Crowland or Croyland is a small town in south Lincolnshire, England, positioned between Peterborough and Spalding, with two sites of historical interest.-Geography:...
and joining the A47 west of Eye
Eye, Cambridgeshire
Eye is a village in the unitary authority area of Peterborough in England, south of Crowland and Eye Green. It was formerly in the Soke of Peterborough in Northamptonshire....
, and in 2008 construction work began, originally due to be completed by Autumn 2010.
The Northern 13.4 kilometres (8.3 mi) of the new route opened between Spalding and the roundabout south of Crowland in Autumn 2010, with the opening of the Southern 7.7 kilometres (4.8 mi) delayed due to structural problems at the embankment at Car Dyke
Car Dyke
The Car Dyke was, and to large extent still is, an eighty-five mile long ditch which runs along the western edge of the Fens in eastern England. It is generally accepted as being of Roman age and, for many centuries, to have been taken as marking the western edge of the Fens...
Bridge. On completion of remedial repairs and the opening of the Southern portion on 16 October 2011, the new road was renumbered to form part of the A16; the original A1073 alignment between Spalding and Eye Green became an unclassified local road.
External links
- Partney Bypass opens.
- Boston Bypass Pressure Group.
- Lincolnshire Police drop off member of public by the A16 who then dies from hypothermia walking home.
- Park and Ride site at Stickney.
- One of the many accounts of delay in starting replacement A1073 construction
- Peterborough account of replacement A1073 construction, without reference to earlier problems
- BBC account of civil engineering difficulties on replacement A1073