Businesses welcome final A14 upgrade completion at Huntingdon

Businesses have welcomed the completion of a £1.5bn project to improve the A14 in Cambridgeshire.

The opening of the Mill Common link in Huntingdon brings to an end almost six years of major construction work along the county's most congested route.

The final section - including the demolition of a 12,000 tonne railway viaduct - opened on 2 June, in time for the Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

Maxine Wraith, of National Highways, said: "We can finally say: A14 - done."

Dubbed "Britain's biggest road building project for a generation", the upgrade began in November 2016 on the 21-mile (34km) route between Cambridge and Huntingdon, with the aim of boosting the local economy and connecting rural communities.

The work included the building of a 12-mile (19km) bypass on the A14 in 2019 and upgrading the carriageway to three lanes in May last year.

More than 85,000 people use the A14 stretch every day, with motorists expected to save 20 minutes on their journeys.

The new-look A14, including the creation of the A1307 between Cambridge and Godmanchester, is set to bring nearly £2.5bn of benefits to the UK economy.

The completion of the Mill Common link in Huntingdon is the final piece of the jigsaw.

Ms Wraith said: "It does take a little while for people to get used to the new lane discipline.

"All the signage has been changed as well. Just a little patience for everyone to get used to the new layout."

National Highways senior project manager Laura Hampshire added: "In the context of what we have achieved in this part of Cambridgeshire, this small link road may seem like a little cog in a big machine, but I think it sums up what this project has been about for me; which is making a positive difference."

The work in Huntingdon included a new station car park, a major tree planting programme and the dismantling of the old A14 railway viaduct on the East Coast Mainline.

Mohammed Nazir, who owns Hunts Taxis, said he was initially sceptical of the plans for the link.

"When we looked at the plans we thought, is this going to be practical?" he said.

"Obviously when 80% of it was completed it did have a knock-on effect on the traffic, and on the ring road.

"Since it opened, we had the Jubilee weekend - one of the busiest times for us as a taxi company - we had no issues at all."

BID town manager for Huntingdon, Paul Sweeney, said it was a "huge relief" to see traffic flowing smoothly around the town's ring road again.

"The work has been completed on time and has been delivered as promised," he said.

"The new access and ease of traffic is of huge benefit to the town, allowing visitors easier access to our amazing array of businesses and parking within the town centre.

"We've already seen a massive reduction of traffic at peak times which will ultimately support the town and engage with our visitors once again, who at times in the past may have avoided us due to traffic concerns."

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