The upgrade will include a major overhaul of the Black Cat roundabout near St Neots in Bedfordshire, which will become a three tier junction to boost traffic flows between the improved road and the A1 and A421.

From there the new dual carriageway will stretch eastwards along the so called ‘Orange Route’ to the Caxton Gibbet roundabout near Cambourne, just to the west of Cambridge. Meanwhile the existing A428 will become a local road serving several communities.

The scheme, which is valued at between £810M and £1.4Bn, represents part of wider ambitions to better connect Oxford in the west and Cambridge in the east, via Milton Keynes to ‘expressway’ standard highways.

“Seeing a solution to the Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet section has been something we have viewed as being a priority for a number of years now, so it is good to see the next stage of the project being announced,” sub-national transport body England’s Economic Heartland programme director Martin Tugwell told TP Weekly News.

“We know that congestion in and around that section is something that adds delay and cost to both personal drivers and businesses, so getting a solution delivered is vital.”

Currently the A428 is a single carriageway with a series of roundabouts and give way junctions, that experiences severe congestion and delays during rush hour. The planned dual carriageway improvement is expected to reduce peak time journeys by more than a third, and will upgrade junctions to be served by slip roads.

Highways England’s project lead Lee Galloway said that the project will mean “quicker and safer journeys for people and will also boost the economy and unlock housing”.

He added: “As well as significant improvements locally, the project will be a vital component in improving the regional and national road network. The improvements will complement our £1.5Bn A14 upgrade and form part of a wider transformation of road links between Cambridge, Milton Keynes and Oxford.”

A more detailed design will now be developed for the project ahead of a public consultation later this year. A planning application is expected to be submitted in 2020 and main construction work could start in spring 2022.

Cambridgeshire County Council’s economy and environment committee chairman Ian Bates said: “The A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet is a much needed scheme for local communities, it will improve journeys between Oxford, Milton Keynes and Cambridge as well as benefit the economy.”

Meanwhile Highways England is also leading on plans to deliver a ‘missing’ highway link between Oxford and Milton Keynes, with a consultation due next year.

Martin Tugwell added that England’s Economic Heartland is currently developing two connectivity studies which are focused on ensuring the wider region is able to benefit and link into strategic road improvements.

(Photograph: Highways England)