A43 OPENING MARKS QUIETER LIFE FOR LOCAL COMMUNITIES

18 Sep 2002 05:44 PM

The quality of life for residents in communities along the A43 in Northamptonshire was dramatically improved today with the opening of the A43 Towcester to M40 dualling scheme.

The £56.6 million project comprises the Silverstone Bypass, Whitfield Turn to Brackley Hatch Improvement and M40 to B4031 Improvement.

The purpose of the scheme is to:
- improve road safety by reducing the number and severity of accidents;
- improve the environment in the bypassed communities of Silverstone, Syresham, Pimlico and other villages;
- reduce congestion along the route; and
- improve the layout of the M40 Junction 10.

The scheme was opened by Northamptonshire County Council Chairman Coun Mrs Pat Cass.

Speaking after the unveiling of a plaque on a commemorative boulder on the new Silverstone bypass, Highways Agency Group Leader Peter Wallwork said:

"I am delighted we are able to open this new scheme, which I know will be much appreciated by residents and road users alike. This new stretch of road will remove more than 22,000 vehicles a day from local communities, which will make a tremendous difference to people's lives.

"These improvements form the second, third and fourth schemes to open to traffic from the Government's £2 billion Targeted Programme of major road improvements aimed at tackling congestion and improving safety."

Work on the 12 mile project, which completes the dualling of the A43 between the M1 and M40, was carried out by Costain Skanska Joint Venture on behalf of the Highways Agency.

Highways Agency Project Manager Graham Wright said:

"In the last 16 months more than 2,500 people have been involved with this project. We have moved more than five million tonnes of earth, built five new junctions, nine new bridges and four culverts, upgraded the bridge at Junction 10 of th M40, created 4.4 miles of side roads, 28 miles of drainage and seven new laybys, and put up 30 miles of fencing. It is a phenomenal achievement and one we and our contractors can be proud of."

Although the road was opened today, there is still work to be done and over the next few weeks minor finishing works will be carried out.

Mr Wright said: "It is important that road users respect the new road, obey the speed limit and take extra care as they get used to the layout, especially when our contractors are working alongside the carriageway."

Another part of the scheme to be completed is landscaping. Once this is done more than 250,000 mature plants will have been planted, including 56 acres of general planting, 73 acres of woodland and 15 miles of hedgerow. In addition, last weekend 10,000 daffodil bulbs were planted along the verges at Welsh Lane by Towcester Young Farmers as part of a fund-raising event for Marie Curie Cancer Care.

Today's event also included a ceremony to name a new bridge where the A413 crosses over the Silverstone Bypass as Whittlewood Bridge.

The bridge was named by Syresham resident Brenda Bonham in a competition organised by the Highways Agency and Costain Skanska.

Mrs Bonham, who unveiled a name plaque on the bridge said:

"The Royal forest of Whittlewood encompassed Silverstone, Syresham and Whittlebury and the Anglo-Saxon kings who hunted the forests must have journeyed along the route of the A43. It seemed appropriate to name the bridge after the whole area, not just one village."

Notes to Editors

1. The Highways Agency is an Executive Agency of the Department for Transport, which manages, maintains and improves the network of trunk roads and motorways in England on behalf of the Secretary of State. It works closely with other transport operators and with local authorities to integrate the trunk road network with the rest of England's roads and other forms of transport. More information is available at www.highways.gov.uk

2. Further details about the scheme's construction, including the advance archaeology and ecology work are available in a commemorative brochure from Dee Smith or Kate Fisher on the number below. Photographs from today's event are also available.

Issued on behalf of the Highways Agency by Government News Network East Midlands. Media enquiries to Dee Smith or Kate Fisher on TEL: 0115 971 2788/0115 971 2785; FAX: 0115 971 2791