‘Village feel’ returns as 70-year campaign to ease Kegworth traffic ends with the opening of the Kegworth Bypass and Bridge
Kegworth Bypass Bridge has officially opened following a 70-year campaign to reduce traffic congestion in the historic village.
On Wednesday 14 November, the 2.1-kilometer bridge over the M1 was officially opened to road vehicles in a small ceremony with members of the local community, the parish council of Kegworth and North West Leicestershire County Council driving over the bridge which forms a key part of the Kegworth Bypass connecting the A6 to A452 at Ashby Road.
The bridge and Kegworth Bypass have been delivered by SEGRO as part of the improvements to the road infrastructure around SEGRO Logistics Park East Midlands Gateway (SLP-EMG). The £100 million infrastructure works also include a new public bus terminal and 50-acre rail freight terminal.
The opening follows a pedestrian only event where members from the village and Kegworth Parish Council, were invited to walk the bridge starting at Long Watton on 11 November.
The new bridge and bypass have been much wanted by residents of Kegworth to reduce the level of traffic through the village, estimated to be 1200 HGV vehicles per day. The opening of the bridge will reduce traffic and congestion in Kegworth by around 60% and improve the air quality.
The new road network will also provide direct access from the M1 to SLP-EMG.
David Hignett, Kegworth Parish Council Chairman, said:
“Kegworth has been waiting for a bypass since 1947 when the first route was drawn onto a map. The village has been dominated by vehicles, particularly HGVs, with some 1200 passing through here every day from Monday to Friday. It is therefore great news that this bridge is now open, with a 7.5 tonne weight limit imposed, which will have a dramatic impact and help restore the 'village feel’ of Kegworth.”
Andrew Pilsworth, SEGRO’s Business Unit Director, National Logistics, said:
“SEGRO Logistics Park East Midlands Gateway is a hugely important development, for the region’s economy and the UK as a whole, and the bridge is key piece of infrastructure that will bring great benefits to the local community such as reduced traffic going through the village. It is great that members of the Parish Council were able to mark its opening on Saturday after wanting it to be built for almost seven decades.”
The bridge comprises 1200 tonnes of steel and concrete and was built using pioneering modular construction methods. Steel components manufactured in Darlington were transported to the location at the side of M1 and assembled and maneuvered into place using specialist machinery.
Construction on the 700-acre development, which is described as an ‘inland port’, began in 2017 and will provide up to 6 million sq ft of industrial and logistics space. With demand for high quality, well located big box space strong, 2.5 million sq ft has already been leased to companies including ShopDirect, the UK’s second-largest pure play online retailer, and Kuehne + Nagel, a leading global logistics company.
SEGRO Logistics Park East Midlands Gateway is located in the near centre of England, with Nottingham 13 miles to the north-east, Leicester 20 miles to the south and Derby 14 miles to the north-west.
ABOUT SEGRO
SEGRO is a UK Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT), and a leading owner, manager and developer of modern warehouses and light industrial property. It owns or manages 6.9 million square metres of space (74 million square feet) valued at over £10 billion serving customers from a wide range of industry sectors. Its properties are located in and around major cities and at key transportation hubs in the UK and in eight other European countries.
See www.SEGRO.com for further information.