Images offer glimpse of A45 Chowns Mill upgrade
Images have today been released by Highways England showing how an historic bottleneck in Northamptonshire will be transformed as part of a major upgrade.
As part of the government’s £15.2bn road investment strategy, Highways England is developing a scheme to improve the A45/A6 Chowns Mill junction, leading to more reliable and safer journeys for people and businesses by reducing congestion and increasing capacity on the road.
Work will include widening the A45 and A6 approaches to provide additional traffic lanes, creating an additional roundabout section on the south side of the existing roundabout and introducing traffic signals to manage traffic safely and effectively.
The work will:
- improve journey times by providing additional lanes
- improve safety by changing the junction layout and introducing traffic signals – managing the flow of traffic through the junction more effectively and reducing the chance of collisions
- support economic growth by encouraging continued investment in the regional economy and support new business and residential opportunities
- improve access for cyclists and pedestrians thanks to new signalled crossings which will make it safer to cross the junction - all crossing points will be designed for users with disabilities
The A45 is a key link between the A14 and M1, serving the growing Northampton, Wellingborough and Rushden areas.
As part of the scheme the junction will be redesigned as a half hamburger layout with a new link road connecting the A6 North and A5028 with the existing roundabout. This will improve the existing junction to allow better flow of traffic reducing congestion through the junction. All approaches will be widened to provide extra lanes and increase capacity.
Highways England project manager, Rachael Langfield, said:
Chowns Mill roundabout currently suffers from severe congestion at peak travel times, leading to long queues on all approaches. This congestion will increase as traffic levels grow.
The scheme we have developed will improve journey times and safety along the A45 and A6 corridors as well as boost capacity to support planned growth in the local area, which is great news for the local and regional economy.
There will be no need to purchase any additional land with improvements to the junction carried out within the existing roundabout boundary.
Construction is due to begin in late 2019 and is expected to be completed within two years.
Public information exhibitions take place tomorrow and Saturday where people can find out more.
The exhibition times and locations are as follows:
- Friday 6 April 2018 - 2pm to 8pm Park Road Baptist Church, Park Road, Rushden, Northamptonshire, NN10 0RG
- Saturday 7 April 2018 - 10am to 4pm Park Road Baptist Church, Park Road, Rushden, Northamptonshire, NN10 0RG
People can also ask questions about the scheme by:
- emailing info@a45chownsmill.com
- visit the Highways England website where you can also sign up for email alerts:
- write to: A45 Chowns Mill improvement team , Highways England, Stirling House, Lakeside Court, Osier Drive, Sherwood Business Park, Nottingham NG15 0DS.
- call the Highways England Customer Contact Centre on 0300 123 5000.
General enquiries
Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.
Media enquiries
Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.