Work starts next week on £32 million road project to improve links between Daventry and Northampton

Flore is one of the villages to benefit from the new road

The £32 million road project will form a new 3.5-mile long single carriageway which will improve transport links between Northampton and Daventry, and improve access between Daventry and the M1 motorway.

The Northamptonshire County Council project will also relieve Flore, Weedon and Upper Heyford of through traffic as well as supporting future growth in the Daventry district.

Councillor Jim Harker, county council leader, said: “This is an important project in a number of ways including being essential to provide the adequate infrastructure to support future economic growth in the Daventry district.

“However one of the big gains is for the villages for which this road will provide a bypass, as it will bring long-awaited relief to the heavy traffic that has passed through these communities for many years.

“This hasn’t been an easy project to get started, mainly because of the lack of funding which is available for infrastructure projects nationally.

“But we’ve managed to find a way – working with our partners to pool together finances for the project which will bring far-reaching benefits for many people in the county.

“This project is an endorsement of innovative working and collaboration can bring about positive achievement.”

The £32million project has been paid for through a finance arrangement known as the Northamptonshire revolving infrastructure fund, which unites funding streams and sees local authorities, developers and contractors working together to put the money in place. This approach has been possible because of the county council funding the design, planning and implementation costs upfront.

Designed and constructed by KierWSP and Balfour Beatty, the link road will start at a new roundabout on the existing A45 between Dodford and Weedon, to the east of Globe Farm. It will then pass to the north of Weedon, Flore and Upper Heyford before rejoining the A45 at a new roundabout between Upper Heyford and the M1 motorway at junction 16.

The road has also been designed so that it could become a dual-carriageway in the future.