As the £1.5 billion project progresses, work needs to move closer to the existing A1 carriageway at this location so safety barriers and a temporary 40mph speed limit, as well as average speed cameras, will be installed for safety reasons.
Senior stakeholder manager for the A14 project, Mike Evans, said: “Safety is at the heart of everything Highways England does. The A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon improvements scheme is progressing well and to schedule. We’ve been building pillars for the new Brampton Interchange bridges between the A14 and A1 and preparing the ground for the new carriageways over the past few months and now need to work closer to the existing A1 to continue with this work, including begin construction of the new, three-lane southbound A1.
“We’ll need to close the southbound A1 to install safety barriers, average speed cameras and signs for the temporary 40mph speed limit to make sure our workers are safe while they build these vital improvements so close to this busy stretch of the A1. Once installed, the narrow lanes and temporary speed limit will stay in place until construction along this stretch has been completed but full capacity will be maintained during the day.”
The southbound A1 will be closed between 9pm and 6am each night, weather permitting, as follows:
- Monday 18 to Tuesday 19 September: Alconbury to Buckden
- Wednesday 20 to Friday 22 September: Alconbury to Brampton Hut
While the road is closed between Alconbury and Buckden, drivers will be diverted via the A14 spur to Spittals Interchange, A14 eastbound to exit at junction 24 for Godmanchester. Traffic will then follow the A1198 southbound to the A428 and take the westbound A428 to rejoin the A1 at St Neots.
While the road is closed between Alconbury and Brampton Hut, drivers will be diverted via the A14 spur and the Spittals Interchange to rejoin the A14 at Brampton Hut.
Work to install narrow lanes, average speed cameras and a temporary 40mph speed limit on the northbound A1 will take place soon and road users and local residents will be kept informed in advance of work happening so they can plan ahead.
Drivers can check travel conditions before setting out on journeys. Highways England provides live traffic information via its website at www.trafficengland.com, local and national radio travel bulletins, electronic road signs and mobile apps. Information is also available from Twitter via https://twitter.com/highwayseast as well as services in other regions and at www.highways.gov.uk/traffic-information