Opening date finally revealed for the longest closed road in Milton Keynes
The end is finally in sight for a road closure that has caused king-size headaches for tens of thousands of drivers near Newport Pagnell.
The A509 was closed in September 2023 from the junction with Newport Pagnell to the Tickford Roundabout (A422) – a much-used route to the M1 Junction 14.
The closure was to allow infrastructure to be built for the major MK East Strategic Urban Extension development of 5,000 new homes.
Originally developers said it would last for a year but the September 2024 deadline came and went with no explanation to the frustrated motorists who were forced to put up with a lengthy diversion and traffic delays. Today it is more than 600 days – almost 20 months – since the closure.
To make matters even worse, the delays have more recently been exacerbated by complicated roadworks on the nearby Willen Road roundabout and junction.
This month drivers have rapidly been losing patience, particularly when faced with getting in and out of Newport Pagnell at school run times or travelling to Junction 14 during the rush hour.
One man wrote to Milton Keynes City Council leader Pete Marland, stating the situation was “almost impossible” and asking for how much longer it would continue.
He passed Pete’s reply to the Citizen – and it reveals a re-opening date that is just weeks away.
Pete’s letter states: "Milton Keynes City Council is not responsible for the road works being undertaken to upgrade the highway from Tickford Roundabout to the M1, nor the upgrade of the old Willen Road junction. The work is being carried out by the contractor of the developer of MK East to upgrade capacity at the junctions for the new homes and logistics site planned for the area.”
It adds: "The delay in the developer being able to complete the works on the original schedule was caused by the very wet weather last year.”
Originally the developer wanted to extend the works into 2026, states Pete. Vut after representations made to the developers by Cllr Debbie Whitworth, Labour MK City Councillor for Olney ward, and Chris Curtis MP, Labour Member of Parliament for Milton Keynes North, the council limited the extension of the works order to six months.
Pete’s letter states: “I am pleased to say that the developer has informed us that this phase of their construction work is currently still scheduled to be completed on time and the A509 will reopen in late summer in time for the start of the new school year in the autumn, early September.”
“It is also important to highlight that although I recognise the inconvenience for some road users at times, the Labour administration is absolutely committed to ensuring growth in Milton Keynes comes alongside the critical and necessary infrastructure to ensure growth does not overburden our existing roads.
"The junctions in question were already causing delays before the works started but the new capacity will mean that, once complete, local residents will benefit from the better road lay out and increased capacity. Therefore while the delay is very unfortunate and was out of the control of the council, I believe that the short term disruption caused by insisting on developers improving our city’s infrastructure will be outweighed by the overall benefit to the city in the longer-term.”