New bridge opens next week as part of £1billion Black Cat upgrade

And in the latest development, the new Roxton Road bridge is set to open on Bank Holiday Monday (May 5).

It’s a key part of the new Roxton Road link, carrying traffic over the A421, and is designed to handle the new westbound slip road and eastbound free-flow link running beneath it from the A421 on to the A1 — something the old bridge couldn't support.

Lee Galloway, National Highways project director, said: "The opening of the new Roxton Road bridge is an exciting milestone for the scheme. This bridge marks a big step forward, bringing us closer to making travel easier, more reliable, and safer. It’s fantastic to see all the hard work coming together to deliver lasting benefits for the community and road users alike."

Once the bridge is open, National Highways will turn its attention to completing the new Roxton Road link, which is expected to open to traffic in late May.

The £1 billion transformation to create a new 10-mile dual carriageway began in December 2023.

Once complete, journeys at peak times are expected to be cut by a third, saving businesses and road users an average of an hour and a half over a working week.

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