Off-peak traffic lights on main Northampton road as part of controversial north-west relief road proposal

A map of where the north-west relief road would go if it is approved

Off-peak traffic lights will be in place for three days next week on a main road in Northampton as part of the controversial north-west relief road proposal.

Northamptonshire County Council will be carrying out exploratory survey works on the A5119 T-junction with Brampton Lane to support the widely-opposed scheme's design.

The three-way temporary traffic lights will be in place between 9.30am and 3.30pm from Tuesday, August 11, to Thursday, August 13.

During this time the crossing will be turned off and marshals will be on-site during working hours to assist pedestrians and cyclists wishing to cross the road.

When workers are not on site the crossing will be working as usual.

Carriageway coring, which requires part of the road to be cordoned off, will determine the construction of the road and allow further analysis of materials.

The county council's 1.6km bypass is expected to cost £32.5 million and would link the A428 Harlestone Road with the A5199 Welford Road but has been objected to by residents and parish councils.

They argue it will clog up areas like Welford Road and Brampton Lane but Northampton Borough Council has raised no objections, and is also putting in £2.5 million of funding.

A section from the A428 to just south of the railway line has already been constructed as part of the Harlestone Manor development, while the remaining section would serve the 3,000-home Dallington Grange development between New Duston and Kingsthorpe.

The single-lane carriageway would include two new roundabouts, and a transport assessment for the relief road states that it is ‘necessary to enable and unlock the future development of 6,600 houses and more than 3,000 jobs in Northampton’.

The report also adds that it will help relieve pressure on the existing road in northern Northampton and nearby villages.

A decision on whether to approve planning permission was deferred by the county council's development control committee yesterday (Tuesday).

For information on roadworks please go to one.network. Updates will also be posted on Twitter @nnhighways.