Northampton's £54.5 million North West Relief Road wins award despite still being closed two months after completion
Northampton’s £54.5million North West Relief Road (NWRR) has won a regional civil engineering award – even though it remains closed to traffic two months after it was finished.
The £54.5 million scheme, built by Balfour Beatty for West Northamptonshire Council (WNC), was recently named East Midlands Regional Winner in the Integration and Collaborative Working category at the 2025 Civil Engineering Awards.
The award recognised joint work between Balfour Beatty, West Northants Council and engineering consultants WSP.
But while the project, which began in 2023, has been praised for “collaboration” and “programme certainty,” the road itself is still locked and unused, with WNC still, two months after completion, offering no update on when it might open or why it is delayed.
Balfour Beatty said the project was recognised for its ‘early planning and teamwork, smart use of materials, and strong project management’. The team reused earth dug from the site to cut waste, secured Network Rail permissions early, and built two new bridges, two roundabouts and 1.5km of new road. Early coordination on flood risk and utilities helped keep the project on schedule, they said.
Balfour Beatty said the project forms a key part of the long-term “Northampton North Orbital” plan, intended to create a bypass around the town. Critics say a North Orbital Road should have been built instead of the NWRR.
The NWRR is designed to connect Harlestone Road to the A5199 Welford Road, easing congestion on Northampton’s western edge and linking to future housing developments.
However, since construction was completed at the end of August, the route has remained closed. The council has not made any public statement explaining the delay, nor commented on the award.
The situation is similar to the Sandy Lane Relief Road (SLRR), which opened nine weeks late in August after additional safety work was carried out – though WNC did not confirm this until after the road was open.
The NWRR has already been the subject of controversy, with environmental groups criticising the felling of 1,800 trees at Harlestone Firs. Developers and the Althorp Estate say 8,000 new trees and shrubs have been replanted.
Just off the NWRR, construction continues on 3,000 homes at the Dallington Grange housing estate, and plans have been approved for 100 homes to be built right next to Harlestone Firs.