Consultation on major A428 upgrade to enter its final week
Public encouraged to have their say as major consultation draws to a close.
The proposed three-tier junction at the Black Cat roundabout, which will see the A1 pass underneath and the new dual carriageway over the top.
A major consultation on updated plans to transform one of the busiest roads in the East of England will soon enter its final week with Highways England encouraging as many people as possible to have their say.
In updated plans put on show in June 2019, commuters using the A428 between Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire could save up to an hour and a half on their journeys every week using a new 10-mile dual carriageway linking the Black Cat roundabout in Bedfordshire to the Caxton Gibbet roundabout in Cambridgeshire. Both 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.
Highways England is currently engaging in eight weeks of consultation events, pop up events and mobile visitor centre visits to villages and towns to gather drivers, business owners and local people views to help shape the plans.
Sandy, St Neots and Cambourne were among the places that have hosted public information events, while the project team has also taken the consultation on the road to towns such as Milton Keynes, Bedford and Cambridge..
Highways England A428 programme lead Lee Galloway said:
Over the past seven weeks it has been hugely encouraging to hear from more than two thousand drivers, business owners and local residents who have stopped by at one of our events to express their views on the scheme.
The current A428 carries twice the traffic it was designed for and cuts through small communities and villages. It can get painfully congested – in fact delays are currently in the top 20 per cent nationwide. Our plans will make a real difference, improving people’s journeys, and it’s not too late to let us know what you think of them.
People have until midnight on Sunday 28 July 2019 to respond to the consultation, with copies of the consultation booklet and scheme plans available online. Your feedback is extremely important – it will help us identify any themes or consistent concerns allowing us to address them before moving forward with the next phase of the project.
People wanting to get a full 3D immersive experience of the proposed Black Cat junction can now do so using augmented reality through the new A428 scheme app – available on Google Play and the App Store. While the younger generation can explore the entire scheme on Minecraft, created using more than 2.6 billion blocks.
People can respond to the consultation by visiting the scheme website. Copies of the consultation booklet are also available at local council offices and libraries.
The consultation closes at 23:59 on Sunday 28 July 2019.
General enquiries
Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.
Media enquiries
Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.