A46 Newark Bypass

Latest updates

• 12 May 2022

  Project Development Update

  Since our Preferred Route Announcement in February 2022, we have begun the preliminary design stage of the project. We are grateful to local residents, groups and businesses that continue to meet and give us their constructive feedback. This will help inform the plans as we progress to a statutory consultation to be held within the next 9 months.

  Over the next few months, we will be carrying out a range of surveys to gather information on the existing environment around the planned route of the improvement scheme. These surveys will help develop our understanding of the surrounding area which will inform our environmental impact assessments and development of the scheme design, helping us to reduce the environmental impacts during the design development.

  You can read our spring newsletter to find out more about the surveys we are undertaking.

• 24 February 2022

  Preferred Route Announcement

  Click here to join our public briefing at 6pm on Wednesday 9 March

  During December 2020 and February 2021, we held a public consultation to seek views on two proposals, Options 1 and 2, which we had put forward for the Newark Bypass scheme. Over 1,500 people responded to our consultation and we’ve used this feedback to understand local views and shape our proposals.

  We’re now able to confirm we have chosen an amended version of Option 2, called Option 2 modified, as our preferred route for the scheme.

  You can find out more about the preferred route in our brochure.

  What Option 2 Modified looks like

  

  The preferred route will feature:

  • Widening the A46 to a dual carriageway to provide two lanes in each direction between the Farndon and Winthorpe junctions
  • A new bridge over the A1 to the north of the existing bridge
  • A flyover junction at Cattle Market with the A46 elevated to pass over the roundabout
  • Traffic lights to Farndon junction to improve traffic flows during peak hours
  • A five-arm roundabout at Winthorpe roundabout with traffic lights to connect the new A46 link

  While key features of the scheme remain the same as Option 2, following your feedback and additional assessments, we have modified the route to be further away from Winthorpe, and partially back on to the existing A46, between Friendly Farmer roundabout and Winthorpe junction.

  Come and speak to us about the scheme

  We’re holding information events with our engagement van at the start of March. Our project team will be there to discuss the route with you and answer any questions you might have.

  Join us on:

  • Thursday 3 March at the Lord Nelson Pub 9am to 1pm. Lord Nelson Pub, Gainsborough Road, Winthorpe, Newark NG24 2NN.
  • Friday 4 March at the Lord Ted Pub 3pm to 8pm. Lord Ted Pub, Farndon Road, Newark NG24 4SW.
  • Saturday 5 March Newark Market Place 9am to 2pm. Market Place, Newark NG24 1DU.

  We'll also be holding an online event using Microsoft Teams on 9 March from 6pm to 7pm.

  Click here to join the online meeting on the day and time of the event.

  What happens next

  We are currently at the end of our option selection stage.

  We are committed to engaging with local communities and road users during the development and construction of this project. During the next stage of the scheme, we’ll carry out further surveys and assessments to allow us to develop the design of the preferred option further. As part of this process, we will hold a further consultation to get your feedback on a more detailed design of the scheme before we continue the scheme’s development.

   

• 16 September 2021

  Preferred Route Announcement update

  Since our public consultation earlier this year, where we presented possible options for improving the A46 between the Farndon and Winthorpe roundabouts, we’ve been using the local knowledge and views we received to help us develop the best option for improving this section of the A46. We intended to make an announcement on our preferred route in summer 2021, but this will now be later than planned. We expect it to be later this year or early next year.

  There are a number of steps we need to go through before we can announce a preferred route, and we’re continuing to work through these steps, along with the Department for Transport and the Government. We’ll provide updates on our webpage in due course. 

  While we’re not yet able to start the next stage of work or confirm the route we’ll be taking forward, we’re continuing to prepare for the next stage and will be carrying out further survey work this autumn and winter to collect more information about current conditions along the A46 route.

• 26 July 2021

  Remaining survey work planned

  During the summer, we’ve been continuing with our survey works to collect information about the land and ground conditions alongside the existing A46.

  We’re now approaching the end of these surveys, with the work due to end on Tuesday 3 August.

  From Monday 26 July to Friday 30 July, and again on Monday 2 August, we'll have temporary traffic lights in place overnight on the A46 in Newark between the Farndon and Winthorpe roundabouts. The lights will be in operation overnight only, between 8pm and 6am, to minimise disruption to traffic as much as possible.

  To complete the work safely, we’ll be closing a short section of one lane at locations along the A46. Traffic will be able to pass in both directions, via the traffic light system.

  We’ll be using drilling rigs to collect samples of the underlying geology to provide us with information about the land and ground conditions. The drilling may cause some noise disturbance to nearby properties. In addition to using drilling rigs, we’re also carrying out walkover and aerial surveys, as well as carrying out sampling and shallow excavation work. We apologise for any disruption this work causes you.

  We need to do these surveys to better understand the land conditions surrounding the existing road, and the data we collect will help to develop the scheme.

• 21 May 2021

  Public consultation report published

  Following the public consultation on our options to improve the A46 Newark Bypass, we have now published our Consultation Report.

  The report outlines our options to improve the A46 Newark bypass, the key issues and summarises the responses to our options consultation.

  We are grateful to everyone who took the time to share their thoughts and suggestions which are a critical element of the decision-making process and in developing the plans for this much-needed upgrade.

  We’ll use the feedback to help shape our proposals and decide on a preferred route later this year for the multi-million-pound upgrade to the A46 at Newark.

  If you have difficulty accessing the report or wish to request a hard copy, please email the project team at a46newarkbypass@highwaysengland.co.uk or call our Customer Contact Centre on 0300 123 5000.

• 18 May 2021

  Survey works planned until summer 2021– some overnight works to take place

  We have been carrying out survey works to collect information about the land and ground conditions alongside the existing A46 network, from the Farndon roundabout to the Winthorpe roundabout.

  In the next stage of survey works, we will start working on the existing A46 network.

  The work will be carried out overnight Monday to Friday, between 8pm and 6am, to minimise disruption to traffic as much as possible. To complete the work safely, we’ll put in place temporary traffic signals each night, closing a short section of one lane, at locations along the A46 between the Farndon and Winthorpe roundabouts. Traffic will be able to pass in both directions, via the traffic light system.

  To effectively collect information about the land and ground conditions we’ll be using drilling rigs to collect samples of the underlying geology, which may cause some noise disturbance to nearby properties due to the nature of the work. We apologise in advance for this, and will keep noise to a minimum as far as we can.

  Existing works taking place off the existing A46 network will continue to take place between 8am and 5pm wherever possible, to minimise disruption to the local community.

  In addition to using drilling rigs to collect sample cores of the underlying geology, the works include walkover and aerial surveys, as well as carrying out sampling and shallow excavation works.

  We need to do these surveys to better understand the land conditions surrounding the existing road, and the data we collect will help to develop the scheme.

  The surveys will be completed by early summer 2021.

  We will continue to update this page with additional information as the survey works progress.

• 03 February 2021

  Consultation now closed

  Our public consultation has now closed. Thank you to everybody who took the time to provide us with your feedback on the options we presented. We’ll now take time to analyse and consider the feedback we received, and we will publish a consultation report.

  We will use your feedback to help us make a decision on a preferred route announcement, and we’ll make this announcement later this year. This is where we confirm which option we will take forward to improve the A46 Newark Bypass.

  Although our consultation has now closed, we’d still like to hear from you. If you have any questions or would like more information about the project or what happens next, you can contact us using the following details:

  Email: a46newarkbypass@highwaysengland.co.uk
  Telephone: 0300 123 5000

  We may not post any updates about this scheme for some time while we analyse the responses, but we will be carrying out more engagement with communities and stakeholders when we reach our preferred route announcement. We hope to be able to hold face-to-face events for this, depending on social distancing restrictions at the time. You can subscribe to be alerted by email when we update this webpage in the future.

  This short video gives more information about how we develop major road projects and the process we expect to follow to obtain planning permission to build the scheme.

• 09 December 2020

  Consultation now open - 9 December 2020 to 2 February 2021

  We’ve launched a consultation on the A46 Newark Bypass scheme and we want to hear your views on our proposed options. The consultation is open until 23:59 on 2 February 2021.

  Drivers on the single carriageway on the A46 regularly suffer from congestion and poor journey time reliability.

  We’ve developed two proposed options to improve and widen the A46 to a dual carriageway, providing two lanes in each direction between the Farndon and Winthorpe junctions, contributing to more reliable and safer journeys. As part of the project, both options would include a new link and a new bridge over the A1 to the north of the existing bridge. We will also improve access to the A1 by removing A46 through-traffic from the Brownhills and Friendly Farmer roundabouts, allowing them to operate better.

  You can find all of our consultation materials and respond to the consultation by visiting our A46 Newark bypass consultation page.

  As a result of the restrictions around holding public events due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, we will be unable to hold face-to-face events and the consultation will be delivered primarily through online channels.

  Your views are important to help us better understand the local area and any potential impacts our scheme may have on you and the community.  If you have any questions about the consultation, please email the Project Team at a46newarkbypass@highwaysengland.co.uk.

  Alternatively, you can request a call back from a member of the project team by calling 0300 123 5000.

  If you’re unable to access any of our materials or require these in a different format, please contact us on 0300 123 5000.

  You can watch this short video which explains how we develop a new road scheme and how you can get involved.

• 18 September 2020

  September 2020 update

  We are working towards public consultation in Winter 2020.