Updated plans for A428 Black Cat and Caxton Gibbet upgrade go on show

Highways England is inviting people who live, work and travel in and around Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire to comment on latest designs for the multi-million pound A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet improvements in the latest consultation.

The proposals will see the Black Cat Roundabout transformed into a three-tier junction. The design refinements have been made after detailed analysis of the 925 responses received during last summer’s consultation, as well as new technical information and engagement with the local community and organisations.

The proposed upgrade will see a new 10-mile dual carriageway built linking the A1 Black Cat roundabout in Bedfordshire to the A428 Caxton Gibbet roundabout in Cambridgeshire. Both existing roundabouts would also be upgraded into modern, free-flowing junctions and a new junction would be added at Cambridge Road, near St Neots.

The project would replace the only remaining section of single carriageway between Milton Keynes and Cambridge and tackle one of the region’s most notorious congestion hotspots.

The five-week consultation begins and will end at 11.59pm on 28 July.

People can respond to the consultation by visiting Highways England’s virtual consultation room, where they can also hear about the changes from Highways England’s technical team, and explore maps and more details about the proposals. Alternatively forms via Freepost are available, or people can send their response by email - the consultation page has more details on how people can respond.

Lee Galloway, Highways England A428 programme lead, said: “The A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet improvements will transform one of the busiest road links in the East of England, helping to save drivers who live, work and travel in and around Bedfordshire and Cambridge an hour-and-a-half on their journeys every week.

“Getting the views of drivers, the local community and businesses is crucial to designing a project that will offer the best value, maximise the benefits for all, while reducing the impact on the local communities and the environment.”

Key changes include:

• the creation of four “borrow pits”, close to where we are building the embankments at Roxton Road, Black Cat junction and Caxton Gibbet junction. This will considerably reduce the need to transport construction materials and will also reduce construction traffic on public roads, while also making the project more sustainable by using earth and spoil from local sources
• improving safety for walkers, cyclists and horse riders by upgrading crossings and creating more convenient off-road routes
• reducing the visual impact of the scheme by improved landscaping, and planting locally sourced trees and shrubs
• minimising the disruption to existing businesses and reducing the impact on agricultural land, reducing the impact on farmers by using less land where possible
• changes to local access roads to help improve driver access.

Once the consultation closes, Highways England will analyse the new responses ahead of finalising its plans to seek planning consent for the project from Government, by submitting a Development Consent Order (DCO) application later this year. As part of the DCO application, Highways England will submit a Consultation Report, explaining how the issues raised during both consultations were considered and responded to.

Roads Minister Baroness Vere said: “Our roads play a critical role in keeping Britain moving and this project will help to change people’s everyday journeys across the East of England, improving vital links and helping to reduce congestion. We encourage everyone to have their say during this consultation, and be part of the change as we continue to invest and level up across the country.

Highways England will be taking an innovative new approach to the consultation, designed to let people find out about the plans and put their questions to the project team, while respecting the current COVID-19 guidelines. These will include:

• a virtual consultation room where people can log on from home via laptop or mobile device to hear about the changes from Highways England’s technical team, and explore maps and more details about the proposals
• live webchats with the Highways England technical team who can answer any questions that people have about the scheme
• telephone information events where people can dial in to hear more details about the consultation.