Target reopening date revealed for controversially delayed multimillion-pound relief road in Northampton

A new reopening date has been revealed for a multimillion-pound under-construction relief road in Northampton.

Sandy Lane, which sits between Duston and Harpole, has been closed to thousands of motorists since June 2023 for reconstruction works as part of wider plans to build hundreds of new homes in the area.

The road was initially scheduled to reopen on April 1, but it is now May 3 and the road remains closed.

The three parties involved – Vistry, Miller Homes and West Northamptonshire Council – say they are working together to create a new route to link the southern part of Sandy Lane with the new section of the relief road which leads to the Berrywood Road/Roman Road junction.

The proposed date for this route along Sandy Lane to reopen is by the end of June but there are still ‘several factors to be resolved before this date can be committed to’, according to WNC.

Councillor Phil Larratt, the man in charge of highways at WNC, said: “We’ve worked hard with everyone concerned to make sure this reopening takes place as soon as possible.

“We’re confident that it will be possible to get the new section of road opened by the end of June, but at this stage we can’t totally exclude the possibility of a minor delay beyond 30 June due to the nature of post-construction checks necessary on all new roads.

“Clearly this needs to happen as soon as possible to ease the traffic issues which have been experienced by the residents of Harpole and Duston.”

Originally it was anticipated that a temporary link would make reopening in April possible, though ‘unauthorised work’ by the developers has made this difficult to achieve, said councillor Larratt.

The council says it is continuing ‘positive discussions’ with Homes England, owner of the land surrounding the short stretch of relief road which will be the final part of the direct connection with the A4500.

A spokesperson for Vistry and Miller Homes said: “We continue to apologise for any disruption the closure of Sandy Lane is having within the community, please be assured that collectively, Vistry, Miller Homes and West Northamptonshire Council are working tirelessly to reopen the road as soon as possible.

“The multi-million-pound Sandy Lane Relief Road will provide a vastly improved transport infrastructure to the area and whilst we fully understand the short-term challenges imposed by the road closures, these are necessary precautions to enable works to be completed safely and deliver long term benefits to the community.”