Upcoming overnight closures on Queen Eleanor roundabout in Northampton moved to avoid Grand Prix weekend

The Queen Eleanor roundabout – deemed “not fit for purpose” – is undergoing major roadworks, which started in March and are not due to be complete until December this year.

Two nights of full, night time closures were due to take place on Friday July 4 and Saturday July 5. However, these dates have now been changed, as it is also the weekend of the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, which will see almost half a million people visiting the county.

West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) has confirmed the next closures will now be overnight on Friday July 11 and Saturday July 12 between the hours of 8pm and 6am, with road diversions in place.

Councillor Richard Butler WNC’s Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport said: “Works are progressing well on the works to improve the Queen Eleanor Interchange.

"The overnight closures are an essential part of the programme of works, however we want to ensure that the impact on motorists is minimised and have therefore moved the closures to ensure it does not coincide with the Silverstone Grand Prix weekend, which is an important large scale event for the area.”

The closures will allow contractor Kier to install traffic management on the roundabout and adjoining roads to ensure the safety of road users and the workforce.

A full closures of east side of the roundabout will take place on the Friday, including the A45 slip roads, Hardingstone Lane and Newport Pagnell approaches with an approved diversion route in place.

On Saturday, a full closure of the west side of roundabout will take place. This will include the A45 slip roads, Mere Way and London Road approaches with approved diversion routes in place.

Further night time road closures are planned in August 2025. More details will be released in due course, according to the council.

Recently, motorists have hit out at the ongoing works, claiming the lack of temporary traffic lights is creating a dangerous free-for-all at one of the town’s busiest junctions. In response, WNC defended its decision not to install temporary lights.