Major road in Northampton set to REOPEN this week after five months of traffic chaos

Thousands of motorists can breathe a sigh of relief as roadworks on a major road in Northampton are set to finish this week after five months of traffic chaos.

The A4500 between Harpole and Upton has been partially closed since April 1.

Since the start of the works, thousands of motorists trying to get into town have been stuck in long queues as the road is reduced to one lane.

The council and construction workers failed to deliver on its promise of completing the five-month project on time by September 1.

A rescheduled completion date was recently provided by the man in charge of highways at WNC, Conservative councillor Phil Larratt.

Cllr Larratt 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.

“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 has confirmed to this newspaper today (Tuesday, September 19) that the works will be completed by Thursday (September 21).

However 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.