Busy road joining Harborough to the main A6 will be shut for up to six months

A busy road joining Market Harborough to the main A6 at a notorious accident blackspot will be shut for up to six months.

Thousands of drivers will be affected until well into the new year as the top of Kettering Road linking up to the A6 has been closed as two new big roundabouts are built.

They are being constructed as a new 600-house estate is built on an enormous site at Clack Hill on Kettering Road.

A strict 30mph speed limit is being imposed on the A6 where the work is going ahead to protect a small army of workers and contractors on the road.

“Construction is underway on the first of two new roundabouts at the junction of A6 Harborough Bypass and Kettering Road.

“Whilst the various phases of work are taking place, several restrictions have been applied to ensure the safety of the workers and road users,” said a Leicestershire County Council spokeswoman.

“These include a temporary speed reduction to 30mph, lane closures, prohibition of waiting and loading and the closure of Kettering Road preventing access to or from A6.

“The work is being carried out by Breheny Civil Engineering on behalf of Davidsons Homes and is expected to take around six months.”

The roundabouts are being created in an attempt to ease traffic congestion and make the junction safer after a string of crashes at the top of Kettering Road over the last few years.

Some 600 houses are now being put up on the sprawling 88-acre Davidsons Homes scheme on Kettering Road.

The massive blueprint, a hive of building activity, will bring over 1,000 more people into Market Harborough as the popular but under-pressure town continues to grow apace.

A Davidsons Homes spokeswoman said in April this year: “We’re pleased to say that our development for 600 homes, a primary school and local centre on the site off Kettering Road is progressing well.

“So far, we have undertaken 12 months of archaeological works followed by initial earthworks and infrastructure works which are ongoing.”

She added: “We will be moving to the next phase with the new roundabout at the site entrance and improvements to the junction on the A6 programmed to start in May and scheduled to last for about 28 weeks.

“We will then be seeking to take forward the first phase of residential development which adjoins Coleridge Way.”