Burringham Bypass confirmed – Scunthorpe’s southern motorway link will be built

Work to finally connect Scunthorpe’s southern motorway junction to the rest of the town has been confirmed.

A new link road will join the M181 roundabout to Burringham Road – turning what was once a standalone junction into a connected southern gateway.

When complete, motorists in Ashby, Bottesford, Burringham, Yaddlethorpe and Messingham will benefit from a faster, more direct motorway route, easing pressure on Berkeley Circle and improving traffic flow across the town.

Cllr Rob Waltham, leader, North Lincolnshire Council, said: “We said from the start this would be about creating a proper gateway into Scunthorpe – and that’s exactly what this does.

“Big infrastructure projects don’t appear overnight. They’re built in stages – and this is the one where people will see the biggest difference – it turns the plan into a working route.

“We made a promise to invest for the long term, and working with Cllr Walshe, who has championed this for a number of years, we’ve been able to keep it.”

The scheme will be delivered by Keepmoat – with work due to start in the coming weeks – and is funded via the Local Regeneration Fund programme, with the cash confirmed in the council’s budget which was approved by Full Council on Tuesday (24 February).

This latest scheme is the third major investment into the motorway network in recent years, and the first such since the M181 was originally built in 1978.

Cllr Neil Poole, deputy leader and cabinet member for highways, said: “Residents aren’t overly concerned about phases – they care about getting to work quicker, getting home easier and not sitting in traffic at Berkeley Circle.

“This link makes a real, practical difference. It gives communities in Ashby, Bottesford, Burringham and beyond a direct route to the motorway and takes pressure off the busiest junction in town.

“That’s what this is about – building the roads first so growth doesn’t mean gridlock.”

Photo: Cllr Neil Poole, Cllr Josh Walshe, Cllr Rob Waltham, Cllr John Davison.