‘Worst road in North Northamptonshire’ to be fixed and 'substantial repairs' for A6 near Irthlingborough as part of £55m highways funding boost
Part of a major £55m funding boost into highways and transport infrastructure will go towards fixing what has been called the ‘worst road in North Northamptonshire’, according to the council.
Executive member for highways and travel, Cllr Chris McGiffen, told members at a meeting on Tuesday (July 15) that North Northants Council (NNC) would use £1.2m of the Department for Transport (DfT) funding on repairs for Station Road, near Earls Barton.
The stretch of road, which crosses over the River Nene, has been the subject of complaints for years due to the high volume of traffic contributing to the road’s deterioration.
Cllr McGiffen said the funds would go towards completely resurfacing the road and repairing the bridge.
Other projects that were highlighted during the meeting include substantial repairs to the A6 near Irthlingborough, which takes hundreds of vehicles an hour over the River Nene.
The highways portfolio holder suggested that the works would be scheduled over a period of years because of the impact on traffic, with probable weekend closures for periods of time.
The Local Transport Grant funding, which will be spent in addition to the £15 million per year already allocated by NNC, totals £54.5m over the next five years.
In this financial year, £7.7m has been allocated for road maintenance, safety upgrades and traffic signal improvements.
Cllr McGiffen said the above projects would still allow for more than £5m to be spent on potholes and general road repairs that could not have been delivered at the start of the administration.
The report noted that the funding given by the DfT is ‘significantly more’ than the council has received for general transport improvements to date, and gives an opportunity to deliver schemes that have previously been ‘unaffordable’.
Other funding noted by the Reform UK administration includes £191,000 from an active travel fund and £508,000 from a consolidated active travel fund.
NNC plans to use this to deliver a contra-flow cycle lane in Montagu Street, Kettering, which was identified as the highest priority and best value for money for delivery within the Kettering Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP).
Priority schemes will be developed in Corby, Kettering and Wellingborough and, following public consultation, it is expected that one scheme will be selected for delivery.
Cllr Helen Harrison (Conservative, Oundle) asked the administration not to ignore other towns in the Active Travel priority schemes, stating that there were options from smaller places like Oundle, Thrapston and Raunds that could benefit.
A further report will be brought to the executive in early 2026 to confirm the next priority scheme for delivery.