A14 users and people living communities alongside the route have been assured the impact of three-month bridge repairs will be kept to a minimum where possible.

Work will start on Friday, August 29 to replace an expansion joint between junctions 12 and 13, on the viaduct over the A14 at Thrapston.

To reduce the amount of traffic diverting through Thrapston and other smaller communities the A14 will be closed overnight between junction 10 (Burton Latimer) and junction 13 (Thrapston) one direction at a time.

Project manager Simon Wagstaff has promised a safety van will be positioned in Thrapston to record HGVs ignoring the town’s weight limit – footage of breaches will then be shared with police and transport managers.

The A14 viaduct at Thrapston /Google with inset - an example of the sort of temporary plates that will be used, lying flat in the daytime and up for works at night/ Maurer The current expansion joint which needs replacing/ National Highways An example of the sort of temporary plates that will be used - lying flat in the daytime and up for works at night/Maurer

placeholder image — The A14 viaduct at Thrapston /Google with inset - an example of the sort of temporary plates that will be used, lying flat in the daytime and up for works at night/ Maurer The current expansion joint which needs replacing/ National Highways An example of the sort of temporary plates that will be used - lying flat in the daytime and up for works at night/Maurer

Mr Wagstaff said: “We are determined, where possible, to minimise disruption for not only the people using our roads but also those in nearby communities who may be impacted by our work.

“We’ve been working with the police, local councils and MP to understand concerns about high volumes of traffic diverting through Thrapston, particularly those ignoring the weight limit. During the work we will be reminding road users to follow the well signed diversion route and not their sat navs.”

Road users and local communities can to find out more about the work on the bridge from the project team at a public information event taking place later this month.

Members of the project team will be on hand to discuss the work on Tuesday, July 22, at the Co-op in Oundle Road, Thrapston, from 11am to 6pm.

An example of the sort of temporary plates that will be used, lying flat in the daytime and up for works at night/ Maurer

The 25-year-old large expansion joint on the viaduct needs to be replaced having reached the end of its working life.

Expansion joints are flexible devices designed to accommodate movement within a structure due to thermal expansion or contraction, or other forces such as traffic.

A new joint - which has never before been used in the UK - will be installed which will reduce noise and improve maintenance.

National Highways Project Manager, Simon Wagstaff, said: “The current joint was installed 25 years ago and has reached the end of its serviceable life. These joints prevent stress build-up and potential cracking or damage so it’s vital they are well maintained and replaced when necessary.

The A14 viaduct at Thrapston - The current expansion joint which needs replacing/ National Highways

“But we appreciate that roadworks can be disruptive, particularly on such a busy route, so we have gone that extra mile to find a solution which will minimise the impact on road users.

“For the safety of our workforce and road users, we will need to close the road but will mostly do that at night when we know traffic numbers are lower.”

One of the features of the new joint is a quick release system so it can be replaced overnight should the need ever arise, ‘significantly reducing disruption’. It also has noise reducing plates to lower the noise created by vehicles driving over it.

Work will take place on the eastbound carriageway initially and then switch to the westbound carriageway until the scheme is completed in December to minimise the impact on road users.

The bridging plates will be winched and locked into place during the works without which the route would need to be closed to all traffic 24/7 for several weeks.

Updates on the work can be found on the National Highways website or people can subscribe to the scheme distribution list by emailing [email protected].