Work on £32m Daventry link road to start

Work on the new £32m A45 Daventry development link road will get underway this week.

Designed by KierWSP and built by Balfour Beatty, the road will form a new 3.5 mile single carriageway, which will improve transport links between Northampton and Daventry, and provide better access between Daventry and the M1.

The £32m Northamptonshire County Council project was paid for through innovative finance arrangement 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 as the county council has funded the design, planning and implementation costs upfront.

The link road will start at a new roundabout on the existing A45 between the settlements of Dodford and Weedon, to the east of Globe Farm. It will then pass to the north of the villages of Weedon, Flore and Upper Heyford before rejoining the A45 at a new roundabout between Upper Heyford and the M1 at junction 16.

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

Cllr Jim Harker, county council leader, said: “This is an important project in a number of ways. It is essential to provide the adequate infrastructure to support future economic growth in the Daventry district. And, 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 available for infrastructure projects nationally. But we’ve worked with our partners to pool together finances for the project, which will bring far-reaching benefits for many people in the county. This scheme is an example of how innovative working and collaboration can bring about positive achievement.”