The A45/A6 Chowns Mill junction north of Rushden has been upgraded in a £24M scheme to tackle severe congestion at peak times and allow a better flow of traffic.

A new link road has been built on one side of the roundabout, connecting three of the five arms and effectively creating two orbital routes, one inside the other. Approach roads have also been widened to provide extra capacity for traffic. Work started in February last year and was carried out by contractors Carnell and Ground Control.

National Highways project manager Dean Holloway said: “The completion of these ambitious improvements is good news for local businesses, communities and road users who will all benefit from smoother, safer and more reliable journeys without much of the congestion they previously had to endure.

“Key to improving the traffic flow has been the ‘half hamburger’ design which works because it takes the A6 bypass and the A5028 approaches away from the main A45 dual carriageway.

“Pedestrians and cyclists will also be able to use the junction much more safely,” he added. To this end, dedicated paths for those on foot pass through the centre of the smaller roundabout with new signalled crossings installed to provide access.

Wellingborough MP Peter Bone said engagement from local people helped to deliver “this extraordinary double roundabout, which has massively reduced traffic congestion”.

Corby and East Northamptonshire MP Tom Pursglove added: “This is a huge upgrade to our local road infrastructure on what was an incredibly dangerous road previously. The new layout makes absolute sense and is really easy to navigate. It’s a big success.”

(Photograph: National Highways)