Highways Agency

August 2003

The Bypass

The A6 Rushden - Higham Ferrers Bypass was one of the schemes included in the Government's Targeted Programme of Improvements.

It is 3.4 miles (5.5km) long, partly single carriageway and partly dual carriageway. Low noise surfacing has been used to reduce traffic noise.

Up to 19,700 vehicles, including about 1,930 heavy goods vehicles, pass through the towns of Rushden and Higham Ferrers every day and this new bypass will remove a significant amount of that traffic to provide safer and healthier communities. For through traffic the bypass will mean a safer road and more reliable journey times.

The bypass cost £10 million.

Scheme History

The A6 Rushden and Higham Ferrers Bypass was first added to the National Road Programme in 1988 and was the subject of two Public Inquiries in spring 1992 and autumn 1994 respectively. The scheme was included in the Targeted Programme of Improvements in 1998.

Construction

The main 'design and build contract' for the construction of the new road was awarded in February 2002 to Stenoak Associated Services and was subsequently taken over by Aggregate Industries Ltd as the former went into administration. The contractor employed the services of WSP Civils to undertake design works. White Young Green acted as agents to the Highways Agency.

Construction work commenced in April 2002 and has been completed a week early despite inclement weather last winter which interrupted the earthworks. The work was designed to cause minimum disruption to the local communities.

The main features of the work were:

• Construction of four new roundabouts and amendment of one existing
• Construction work involved:
  • Fencing - 10,000 lin.mtr
  • Site Clearance - 29 hectares
  • Earthworks Movement - 120,000 cu.mtr
  • Cement/Lime Stabilisation - 80,000 sq.mtr
  • Drainage - 9,000 lin.mtr
  • Carriageway Surfacing - 83,000 sq.mtr
  • Footway & Paved Areas - 13,200 sq.mtr

Environment, Ecology and Archaeology

Two artificial badger sets were constructed to encourage badgers to move away from a sett in an area required for construction. Tunnels have now been provided under the new road to enable the animals to cross it safely.

Ecological and archaeological studies and mitigation work to minimise the effects of construction works on existing flora, fauna, archaeology and cultural heritage had already started before contract award and continued throughout the works.

Soil stabilisation techniques were incorporated into design to maximise the use of on site material and minimise the need to import quarried stone. This not only avoided the unnecessary depletion of the country's valuable resources but also eliminated approximately 10,000 heavy goods vehicle movements during construction.

Similarly the contractor's solution for treatment of an old landfill site at the southern end of the scheme was to insert stone columns to compact the material under the line of the road. This avoided the need to completely replace the material with fresh soil called for in the original design.

Landscaped embankments and acoustic fencing were constructed to reduce the environmental impact on the adjacent community.

For more on the archaeological finds you can read the full report here

AND FOR THE FUTURE...

On 5th June 2003 a time capsule was buried on the site. This contained items to give a flavour of life in Rushden and Higham Ferrers at the start of the 21stcentury and the winning entries from essay and safety poster competitions involving local schools. The capsule was buried with full honours, including musical accompaniments from the Ferrers School Folk Band.