Britain’s biggest road building project for a generation has been finished, as the last construction element of the £1.5 billion upgrade to the A14 in Cambridgeshire was opened.

Mill Common – the last in a series of new link roads designed to make access to Huntingdon town centre easier and safer – was opened to the public for the first time on Thursday, 2 June.

This formed the final road construction part of a £1.5 billion upgrade to the A14 in Cambridgeshire and ends over five and half years of major infrastructure work to boost the local economy and help connect rural communities.

The completion of Mill Common means almost a mile of new link roads have been built on the outskirts of Huntingdon helping to improve access to the market town and the new transport hub around the train station.

Developments at the station include a new car park for train users, better access for buses and other vehicles, improved footpaths, and significant tree planting.

This followed the dismantling of the old A14 viaduct which spanned the East Coast Main Line and brought increased noise and air pollution to the heart of Huntingdon.

The 12,000-tonne structure had been out of use since the new bypass on the A14 linking Cambridge and Huntingdon was opened in December 2019.

With the final road now complete, National Highways brings to a close the biggest investment in roads infrastructure for a generation. The major milestones included the building of a 12-mile bypass on the A14 in 2019 and upgrading 21-miles of the carriageway to three lanes in May last year.

This work means shorter and safer journey times for the 85,000 people that use the A14 each day. Figures indicate that motorists will be able to save up to twenty minutes on their journeys following the improvements. 

National Highways says the upgraded 21-mile section of the A14 remains a vital link connecting the East coast and the Midlands. The new road, which has been National Highways flagship project, is estimated to bring nearly £2.5 billion of benefits to the UK economy.

(Picture – National Highways)