Drivers face delays when one of Harborough’s busiest roads shuts for five days

Thousands of drivers are set to face delays as one of Market Harborough’s busiest roads is to be shut from Monday (November 23) for five days.

Kettering Road will be closed either side of the railway bridge in Little Bowden as part of a long-term scheme to free up traffic on the bottleneck stretch of road and make it easier for cyclists.

Cllr Trevor Pendleton, Leicestershire County Council’s Cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “We have been working hard alongside partners to carry out preparatory safety work to ensure there is minimum disruption to road users during the closure.

“The works are due to start on the 23rd November as we continue to improve Kettering Road for both cyclists and drivers by ensuring safety and bettering the flow of traffic.”

He added: “A diversion route will be in place and we apologise for any inconvenience this road closure will cause.”

The project is being funded by the Government’s ‘Emergency Active Travel Fund’ – launched to encourage more people to cycle during the Covid-19 outbreak.

The first stage of the blueprint on Kettering Road, one of the main arteries in and out of Market Harborough, was carried out in September as traffic lights were set up at the railway bridge.

Drivers will be diverted via Gorse Lane, Rockingham Road, St Mary’s Road, Kettering Road or through Bellfields Lane, Scotland Road, Rectory Lane, the county council said.