£1.5 billion A14 upgrade opens to traffic eight months early
A £1.5bn A14 road-building project is opening for traffic eight months ahead of schedule.
The upgraded road was originally planned to open to traffic by December 2020. However, the last of the roadworks have now been removed and the new lanes are available for traffic.
The Cambridge to Huntingdon route aims to shave up to 20 minutes off journeys and strengthen links between the Midlands and the East of England.
“This upgrade is a key addition to our national infrastructure, better linking the North of England and the Midlands to the East of England and to the Haven ports", Highways England chief executive Jim O’Sullivan said. "It also brings economic benefits to the wider region and local towns and communities."
Further work in the road verges, including completing landscaping as well as cycle, horse riding and pedestrian paths, will continue. To carry out the remaining work safely, some temporary overnight closures or off-peak daytime lane closures are needed.
Work to transform the old A14 for local journeys in and around Huntingdon, including taking down the 45-year-old Huntingdon viaduct, is also continuing. Highways England estimate the task will be completed by 2022.
Work began to dismantle the 16,400 tonne A14 Huntingdon Railway Viaduct following the opening of the Huntingdon southern bypass, and more than half a mile of new link roads are being built into the town.
Roads Minister Baroness Vere said: “The upgrade will deliver faster, easier journeys for those travelling between Cambridge and Huntingdon, and will also improve links to the UK’s largest container port at Felixstowe - further bolstering our efforts to move goods around the UK at this critical time.”Today Highways England confirmed the work to upgrade the A14 between Cambridge and Huntingdon has largely been completed, which means the permanent roadworks have been removed and the national 70mph speed limit has been restored.
Work on the project began in November 2016, and has employed over 14,000 people in total. Building the new road took 14 million construction hours – the equivalent of almost 1,600 years.
Besides the Huntingdon southern bypass, the project includes an upgrade to the A14 between Swavesey and Milton, and a new road for local communities, the A1307, which runs parallel to it between Cambridge and Godmanchester.
Approximately 24 miles of new routes for cyclists, walkers and horse riders are also included in the scheme.