Thousands of motorists to be affected as busy route into …

Works on the A4500 near Upton are set to finish on September 21 instead of the initial September 1 completion date (Photo: Logan MacLeod)

A major road in Northampton is set to be closed for another three weeks – affecting thousands of motorists with further delays into town.

The A4500 between Harpole and Upton remains partially closed, despite assurances from the council and construction workers that the five-month project would be completed on time. ^[1]

Since the start of the works ^[2], on April 1, thousands of motorists trying to get into town have been stuck in long queues as the road is reduced to one lane.

Many motorists are also not zip-merg ^[3]ing, which is further adding to the traffic chaos, according to some sources.

Works were expected to be finished on September 1 but that timeline has since been pushed back to September 21.

Cllr Phil Larratt, WNC’s cabinet member in charge of highways, said: “While conducting the work, the contractors came across numerous additional services and drainage systems that were not documented in any previous surveys. Despite their best efforts to excavate based on the existing design and available information, the sheer complexity of these unforeseen services made it impossible to proceed as originally planned.

“The works faced an additional setback after a water main belonging to Anglian Water burst on the main carriageway, causing further disruption.

“Due to this unexpected delay and the need for additional work, the timeline has been extended until 21 September. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding as we work diligently to complete these works.”

WNC also revealed that motorists can expect to face further delays as soon as October, when National Grid close a lane for two weeks between October 2 and October 18.

References

^{^} would be completed on time. (www.northamptonchron.co.uk)
^{^} Since the start of the works (www.northamptonchron.co.uk)
^{^} motorists are also not zip-merg (www.northamptonchron.co.uk)