Commuters fuming as new A14 junction creates queues
Frustrated commuters say the A14 improvement works at Swavesey have created a new bottleneck for motorists.
The new 12-mile bypass between Ellington and Swavesey opened to traffic earlier this month as part of the project to upgrade 21 miles of the A14 between Cambridge and Huntingdon. But drivers travelling eastbound towards the city at peak times say the scheme has led to queues at a roundabout where the old A14 meets the roads from Swavesey and Boxworth.
Dr Lisa Pennells, who commutes to the city from the village of Houghton, said: “The set-up where the old A14 meets the roads from Swavesey and Boxworth at a roundabout is completely inadequate for the amount of commuters trying to get to work in Cambridge in the morning and it is making our lives a misery.
“This is not a question of people getting used to the new road and junction – there simply are too many cars heading to Cambridge from
St Ives, Fenstanton, Swavesey and other villages and inadequate capacity at the new junction.
“We are not able to access the new stretch of the A14, so there needs to be better allowance for us.
“In desperation, people are cutting through villages to try to beat the queues at this roundabout and driving aggressively.
“My journey to work near Addenbrooke’s from Houghton is now taking longer than before the new A14 opened – around one hour and 50 minutes and that is leaving home at 7am.
“The A14 project has created a new bottleneck and Cambridgeshire County Council should not accept responsibility for this part of the project until Highways England has resolved the problems.”
Work on the rest of the scheme, between Swavesey and Milton, continues and is on schedule to be complete by December 2020.
A Highways England spokesperson said: “Opening the Huntingdon southern bypass is a huge milestone in this project and will help to reduce up to 20 minutes from journeys once the scheme is complete next year. As with any new road, it will take a few days for things to settle while sat navs and online maps get updated, new commute routes are found and technology is adjusted. We are monitoring the situation and making adjustments where we can to help smooth traffic flows.
“We’re aware there are some issues with traffic building up in some areas such as at Brampton Hut, near Swavesey on the A1307, and around Huntingdon and are working on solutions now. We’d like to thank all drivers for their ongoing patience and hope they’ll soon be able to enjoy the benefits of the bypass.”
Overnight on Thursday, December 19, the new A14 westbound Girton link opened. The new section of the road was due to open to drivers earlier in the week but was postponed having already been rescheduled earlier in the month.
The link will allow drivers travelling on the A14 to continue their journeys without having to use the Girton junction.
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