A1 southbound near Water Newton may not be fixed until 2027, National Highways confirms

Repairs to a closed carriageway on the A1 may not be completed until 2027, National Highways has confirmed.

One lane of the A1 southbound has been closed between Water Newton and Sibson since a fatal crash on November 1 last year.

A lorry driver was found dead at the scene after his lorry left the A1 and crashed in a field.

The culvert which carries the main road over Billing Brook near Water Newton was damaged in the incident but, due to its location near the remains of a Roman town, repairs are yet to take place.

Drivers have been facing long delays during the closure and this is not set to change any time soon.

National Highways, which is responsible for the road, has confirmed that full repairs won’t be carried out until 2026 or 2027.

However, it is hoped the closed lane will be reopened under a temporary speed restriction by the end of summer this year.

A National Highways spokesperson said: "This is a complex repair as the remains of a Roman town are located close to the damaged culvert and the site forms part of a Historic England protected area.

“Consideration also needs to be given to a Site of Special Scientific Interest downstream at Billing Brook.

“Design work is underway for a repair that won't compromise the historic and scientific nature of this area.

“We appreciate the inconvenience caused by increased journey times and would like to thank road users for their patience while we work to address this issue.”

The historic site, known as Durobrivae, is one of the largest Romano-British ‘small towns’, and is the location where the earliest known collection of Christian silver and gold objects from the Roman Empire was discovered.

In 2012 a partial excavation of the neighbouring Water Newton fort was completed by the Nene Valley Archeological Trust, with support of English Heritage, and over the years a number of digs and surveys have taken place.

The fort and Durobrivae, including its suburbs immediately south and east of Water Newton, are listed as scheduled monuments on the Historic England National Heritage List.

A stretch of the A1 between South Witham and Little Ponton is also currently subject to road closures until mid-April.

This is while work is done to make the road safer including resurfacing, refreshing road markings, improving signage, clearing vegetation and layby maintenance work.