£160k on its way to relieve traffic jams
Funding for a major overhaul of Northampton's road system is to be approved by planners to ensure the town can cope with traffic rising by almost a third in coming years.
Members of the West Northamptonshire Development Corporation (WNDC) are due to approve funds of more than 160,000 for the Northampton Junctions Congestion Relief project next week.
The changes will include improvements to traffic hotspot areas including St Peters Way and Bedford Road and Barnes Meadow Interchange, and the project should allow WNDC and the county and borough councils to prioritise which areas need most attention.
A report to WNDC's board meeting said: "The aim of this project is to facilitate future growth while relieving future congestion.
"Milton Keynes – South Midlands (MKSM) has been designated as one of the Government's growth areas, with an additional 200,000 homes to be constructed in the next ten years.
"Northampton, as a key town in the area, will have substantial local growth, which will lead to around 30 per cent increase in travel demand."
Key junctions already identified include the "Waterside Corridor" which includes the Castle Station and Black Lion Hill area of Northampton, as well as The Plough junction and the Barnes Meadow Interchange on the A45.
The project will also include improvements to road signs around Northampton, changes to walkways and pavements and possible complete reconfiguration of major junctions.
Planners will aim to promote sustainable transport among the public, cut the number of car journeys made by lone people and exploit Northampton's existing road infrastructure fully.
But the report added that upgrades would be carried out where needed, and said a "high-level" evaluation of the network would be carried out.
It said: "The strategic approach is to provide facilities for increased sustainable transport usage, as well as getting the most out of the available transport and highway network.
"Where this is not possible additional capacity will be built. The project will identify both major and minor changes to the existing network layout, but where necessary design changes will be proposed to build in the additional capacity required."
WNDC's board is expected to approve the funding at a meeting tomorrow.
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Weather for Northampton
Wednesday 08 February 2012
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