Out-Law News 2 min. read

A14 toll road between Huntingdon and Cambridge should be completed by 2020, says Highways Agency


The Highways Agency has published detailed plans for the upgrade of the A14 in Cambridgeshire, including how tolls would work on a proposed new 12-mile bypass around Huntingdon.

It is seeking feedback from the public on the choice of route, junction and access arrangements, as well as the proposed tolls. The plans will be presented at a number of public exhibitions in the Cambridge and Huntingdon area before the consultation closes on 13 October.

"This announcement meets the commitment I made in January to present a more detailed solution for the A14 and a clearer timetable for delivering these crucial improvements," said Roads Minister Stephen Hammond.

"We need a long-term resolution that will tackle the congestion and journey time reliability issues and, subject to the outcome of the consultation, we believe this is it. It's the best option for people living locally, and for the businesses that see it as a gateway to the international markets via the ports on the east coast. It will provide better journeys for long-distance and local traffic, putting the right vehicles on the right roads," he said.

The Highways Agency expects to be able to announce its preferred route for the new road later this year, with a further public consultation to follow. Subject to planning consent and approval from the Transport Secretary, construction is due to begin in late 2016 for completion in 2019/20, it said.

The A14 corridor is designated a "strategic" route, built and maintained by the Highways Agency along with the rest of England's motorways and major trunk roads. The road links the ports in the south east of England with the Midlands. Nearly 85,000 vehicles per day currently use some sections of the road, according to the Highways Agency.

The plans include a new bypass to replace the existing road around Huntingdon, running from where the A14 meets the A1 at Ellington to Swavesey, on the existing route. The current route through Huntingdon would be "de-trunked" for local use, and the viaduct over the mainline railway demolished. The section of the road between Swavesey and Milton would be widened, and Girton and Milton junctions upgraded to add more capacity and improve traffic flow. A new single carriageway access road will also be built alongside the new A14, for local use.

The current budget for the scheme is £1.5 billion, much of which will be met by the Government. However, it is proposed that car and HGV drivers that benefit from the new road help to pay for it through tolls for use of the new bypass. The consultation proposes charging cars and other light vehicles between £1 and £1.50, and heavy goods vehicles double this amount. The charges would apply between 6am and 10pm daily, and vehicles using the tolled section of the road could be identified using the same number plate recognition technology in use in London's congestion charge zones.

Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne confirmed that public money would be made available for construction on the scheme to begin in 2016, instead of the originally proposed 2018, as part of the Spending Round in June. The scheme is designed to replace a proposed publicly-funded scheme which was dropped by the Government on affordability grounds shortly after it came to power.

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