Northamptonshire's A45/A6 £24m roundabout project completed

The new roundabout has a "half hamburger" layout

A £24m roundabout project designed to improve an "incredibly dangerous road" has been completed ahead of schedule.

Work on the Chowns Mill A45/A6 junction at Higham Ferrers, Northamptonshire, began in February 2020 and was due to finish later this winter.

National Highways project manager Dean Holloway said it would benefit walkers and cyclists as well as drivers.

MPs Peter Bone and Tom Pursglove took part in a tree-planting ceremony to mark the end of the roadworks.

Conservative MPs Peter Bone and Tom Pursglove planted one of the last 2,000 trees in a ceremony to mark the end of the roadworks

The "half hamburger" roundabout layout includes the widening of the A6 and A45 approaches to include additional lanes.

Local businesses, communities and road users "will all benefit from smoother, safer and more reliable journeys without much of the congestion they previously had to endure", according to Mr Holloway.

• Roundabout roadworks set to last four months

• Work starts felling ancient tree despite protests

• Two-year £24m work starts on 'bottleneck' junction

Before the work began, Stagecoach Buses had to extend its timetabled journey times because of delays.

Thousands of people signed a petition to save a centuries-old tree but it was felled as part of the work.

However, the project included the planting of about 2,000 trees.

North Northamptonshire and National Highways representatives also attended the tree planting

The roadworks included the installation of 43 street lamps, and the use of 60,000 tonnes of stone and 6,250m (20,505ft) of kerbing.

Mr Bone, Wellingborough MP, said his constituents would benefit from "massively reduced traffic congestion".

Mr Pursglove, the member for Corby and East Northamptonshire, described it as "a huge upgrade to our local road infrastructure on what was an incredibly dangerous road previously".