The A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon improvement scheme consultation started on 7 April and ends at midnight on Sunday 15 June. So far around 2000 members of the public have visited the exhibitions, and the Agency has received more than 760 responses about their plans.
Mike Evans, Highways Agency A14 project team, said:
“This is a vital scheme that will deliver benefits for Cambridgeshire and those who regularly use the A14, and we want to make sure the scheme best meets the needs of businesses, road-users and the local community.
“We are very pleased with the level of engagement we’ve had from the public. We’ve had thousands of people come and talk to us at our exhibitions, I’ve been quizzed via our two web chats and we’ve had hundreds of responses, so far, to our consultation.
“There are just a few days to go, so we do urge people to get online and get involved.”
All the information people need in order to give their views – consultation documents, online questionnaire and how to contact the team - is available on the Highways Agency’s website: www.highways.gov.uk/a14cambridgetohuntingdon.
The existing A14 between Cambridge and Huntingdon carries almost 85,000 vehicles a day; significantly more than it was designed for, resulting in congestion and delays.
In September 2013 the Highways Agency held a public consultation to consider route options for the up to £1.5 billion A14 improvement scheme. As a result of this exercise, the proposed scheme has been developed in more detail and plans to toll the road have been dropped.
The changes that have been made in response to feedback from last year’s consultation include improvements to Brampton, Swavesey, Bar Hill and Girton junctions. An updated local access road has also been proposed between Fen Drayton and Swavesey.
The current consultation exercise forms part of the statutory planning process and is intended to give local residents, businesses, haulage operators and communities more information on the scope and details of the proposals and to have their say on the plans.
The Agency will announce the preferred route in the summer before submitting its planning application, which is known as a Development Consent Order or DCO, to the Planning Inspectorate in the autumn. Subject to a successful examination of the planning application, work is due to start on site in late 2016.
Infographic: Key facts about the A14 improvements and photographs from a recent exhibition. (c) The Highways Agency