Ministers have again given the “green light” to the A46 Newark Bypass, although the £500m scheme has no delivery timetable.
Rail minister Lord Hendy has approved a development consent order for the project, presumably because Labour is doing so little to improve the rail network, apart from not announcing funding for Northern Powerhouse Rail.
National Highways said the move:
means the formal green light has been given for the scheme to tackle congestion on a crucial trade corridor through the East Midlands.
The Department for Transport also announced in July that it given the green light to the scheme, “which could support thousands of new jobs and homes, if planning approval is granted”. Perhaps that was more of an amber light?
But a National Highways press release notes that:
In the coming months, National Highways will work with the Department for Transport (DfT) to identify the most efficient and cost-effective delivery timetables for this project, as part of the process of setting the next Road Investment Strategy. An update on timings will be given next year.
So, if you are interpreting a green light as saying that the scheme is in a position to go forward, think again.
Interestingly, in July the DfT told Newark and Sherwood District Council:
We are currently working with DfT to identify the most efficient delivery times for the A46 Newark Bypass scheme, and these will be published alongside RIS3 in March 2026.
No mention of cost there. Maybe they need to wait for the money to be genuinely in place.
Transport Insights 
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