£1.5 billion scheme update

The A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon improvement scheme, Highways England’s biggest scheme currently in construction, started at the end of November 2016. The government has made a provision for £1.5 billion of capital investment for this scheme, with proposals being funded through a combination of contributions from Central Government, local authorities and Local Enterprise Partnerships.

The existing A14 trunk road between Cambridge and Huntingdon is well known for congestion and delays, with almost 85,000 vehicles using this stretch of the A14 every day; a lot more than it was originally designed for. The proposed benefits of the completed A14 include relieving traffic congestion, unlocking local economic growth, enhancing national economic growth, connecting communities, improving the environment and safety and reducing driver stress, and creating a positive legacy for the region.

Once work is complete the existing A14 will be ‘de-trunked’ between Huntingdon and Swavesey and between Alconbury and Spittals interchange. This means the road will gain county road status and Highways England will pass responsibility for the road to the local authority.

Much work has already been achieved already on this complex project, with narrow lanes having been installed on the A14, allowing the space required for work without closing lanes. Temporary safety barriers have also been installed on the A1, which means work can be safely carried out on that section without installing additional traffic management. Both these measures minimise the impact on drivers.

The next few months will see the start of permanent work, which includes: excavating the borrow pits, which provides some of the material needed to build the scheme, continuing work on the 750m River Great Ouse viaduct, continuing archaeological excavations; findings will be presented to the local community once finished, building new bridges, continuing to divert utility services (such as gas, water, broadband) which sit within the scheme boundary and creating new ecology habitats for wildlife.