Work begins soon to ease congestion at Barnes Meadow
A date has been set for work to start in Northampton to ease congestion on one of the busiest roundabouts in the county.
A 5.3 million Northamptonshire County Council project to improve the A45/A4500 corridor, focusing on the Barnes Meadow Roundabout, is scheduled to start on Monday, August 16.
It is hoped the works will reduce the time it takes to travel from Wellingborough and Earls Barton into Northampton, with measures including an extra vehicle lane for cars carrying more than one person, traffic light improvements on bus routes, extra lanes on the Barnes Meadow roundabout and new traffic lights on the Rushmere Road entry to the roundabout.
Councillor Winston Strachan, (Lab, St Crispin) welcomed work on the junction which is used by around 7,000 vehicles daily during rush-hour.
He said: "During rush-hour that area is jammed. Sometimes there is a tailback all the way from the Barnes Meadow roundabout to Riverside Park.
"The works might not fix the problem entirely but they should go a great way to relieving it," he said.
Councillor Heather Smith (Con, Prebendal), county council cabinet member for transport, minerals and waste, said: "I'm confident these measures will reduce congestion by improving the overall capacity of the intersection, as well as encouraging bus travel and car sharing, which in turn can be of benefit in reducing carbon emissions and improving the local environment."
To enable the works, existing traffic lanes will be narrowed and work will be carried out behind a temporary concrete barrier.
Short-term temporary closures, mostly overnight, will also be required to carry out essential work.
Closures will be publicised in advance. The work is due for completion in March 2011.
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