Huge gantries installed at Chowns Mill junction

The gantries will eventually have signs on them

Three 'superspan' gantries have been installed at the A45 A6 Chowns Mill junction as part of a £24m scheme.

With a width of about 40m two of the gantries - which weigh up to 25 tonnes each - span the eastbound and westbound carriageways of the A45 near Higham Ferrers.

The third gantry now stretches across the southbound carriageway of the A6.

Work to install the gantries took place during overnight closures between June 21 and June 25, which Station Road also closed to carry out road marking and footpath work.

Signs will be fitted to the gantries which will help traffic flow more smoothly and provide important information for drivers.

Highways England construction assurance manager, David Marlow, said: “The superspan gantries are the biggest infrastructure we are installing as part of this scheme and due to their sheer size required large machinery on site, including heavy lifting cranes, and highly-skilled specialist personal. For the safety of all involved, the road had to be closed

“Installations can be challenging but all went smoothly throughout the week and we were able to open on time the following mornings.

“We only close the road if absolutely necessary and we did so at night when the junction is quieter. But we appreciate closures can cause disruption and are grateful to people for their understanding while we carried out these major installations.”

The Chowns Mill roundabout is currently being redesigned to tackle congestion and bottlenecks, and will eventually be a half-hamburger layout with a new link road connecting the A6 south and A5028 with the existing roundabout.

All approaches are being widened to provide extra lanes and capacity.  

The project is due for completion in winter 2021/22.