Hamburger Roundabout?
| Published: 8th April 2008 14:04 |
Our village and other communities along the upper Tove valley access the main trunk road network on the A43 at the Abthorpe roundabout close to McDonald’s restaurant. West Northamptonshire Development Corporation, the government funded body charged with creating an extension to Towcester that will contain more than 3000 new homes, employment areas and many other features, has recently received a letter from the Highways Agency that comments on draft development proposals for the Abthorpe roundabout. These indicate that a new A5 single carriageway bypass will be constructed round the south side of Towcester. This will link with the A43 dual-carriageway between the Abthorpe roundabout and Silverstone village.
From that link to the Tove roundabout close to the Bell Plantation Garden Centre, the A5 and A43 will share the same dual carriageway. It has been proposed that the Abthorpe junction will be constructed appropriately for a roundabout close to McDonalds, on the “hamburger” principle. A roundabout will be superimposed across the dual carriageway all at the same level with no flyovers. Traffic lights will regulate the traffic flows. The existing Pegasus crossing whereby horse riders and cyclists can halt the traffic to cross the dual carriageway is to be retained as part of the new proposals. Many local people have expressed major concerns whether the redesigned Abthorpe hamburger roundabout will be able to cope effectively with the inevitably vastly increased traffic flows on the shared A5 and A43.
The Highways Agency charged with maintaining and improving England’s trunk roads has commented in its letter to the WNDC that the proposed development has been the subject of lengthy discussions and that there are a number of fundamental issues that need to be resolved relating to schemes for both the Tove and Abthorpe roundabouts. As a result the Secretary of State for Transport has directed that planning permission is not granted for an indefinite period of time.
