Council Apologises After Traffic Chaos

North Northamptonshire Council has apologised for significant delays caused by roadworks on the B576 Desborough Road in Rothwell.

Temporary traffic lights caused traffic chaos yesterday morning, with drivers reporting the short journey between Desborough and Rothwell taking more than an hour.

The delays have caused problems for people travelling to work, school and medical appointments.

The council says the roadworks are part of improvement works funded by developers and had been planned to take place outside traffic-sensitive periods to reduce disruption.

However, it says “it became clear the arrangements on site were not aligning with those plans, with work taking place outside the designated times.”

Highways inspectors raised the issue with the contractor working on behalf of the developers, and the council says “measures have since been put in place to address the situation.”

The site will continue to be closely monitored, with temporary traffic signals and traffic flows kept under review.

The council has also asked the developer’s contractor to ensure traffic can flow freely before 9.30am and after 3pm, “to help reduce delays wherever possible.”

The wider roadworks include kerbing, tactile paving, carriageway widening and replacement of traffic lights, and are expected to continue until 23 December.