Highways Agency

• A14 Ellington to Fen Ditton

Preferred Route Announcement (PRA) is one of the formal steps we go through as we move towards the final proposals to be presented in the draft Orders and Environmental Statement. The PRA confirms the general line the scheme is to follow and confers a higher degree of statutory status to the proposals. For instance it triggers blight provisions whereby people whose property is likely to be directly affected, and cannot sell it as a consequence, can ask us to buy it if certain criteria are met.

Fen Drayton to Fen Ditton section of the scheme

The PRA for the Fen Drayton to Fen Ditton section of the A14 was announced on 22 March 2007. It confirmed that the scheme should be taken forward in line with the general concept shown at the 2005 public consultation, with the detailed layout of the road and junctions to be designed by the contractor.

In summary:

• the A14 would be widened to at least three lanes in each direction.  Between M11 Junction 14 and Histon Junction on the Cambridge Northern Bypass we have identified a need for an additional fourth lane in both directions to allow traffic to join and leave the A14 safely.
• there would be new local roads along the widened A14 between Fen Drayton Interchange and M11 Junction 14.  These would improve safety by keeping local traffic separate from through traffic.  At Bar Hill Junction, the local roads may provide a direct link on to the B1050 to the proposed new development at Northstowe.
• an improved M11 Junction 14 including removal of the existing southern 'cloverleaf' loop, and provision of a new link road between the Cambridge Northern Bypass and the A14 going west. 

Ellington to Fen Drayton section of the scheme

The PRA for the Ellington to Fen Drayton section of the A14 was announced on 24 October 2007.  It confirmed that a new road will be built between Ellington and Fen Drayton following the general concept of the Orange Route shown in the 2006 further public consultation, with the detailed layout of the road and junctions to be designed by the contarctor.

In summary:

• The new road will run by the side of the A1 to a new junction at Brampton.  Then continue east, passing just south of the Buckden landfill site, crossing the River Great Ouse and the East Coast Main Line Railway to the north of Buckden Marina and Offord Cluny.  It then goes across the A1198 south of Wood Green Animal Shelters.  It goes north of Hilton and Connington, and joins the existing A14 at a new junction at Fen Drayton.
• The new road will be two lanes in each direction between Ellington and the A1 and three lanes in each direction between the A1 and Fen Drayton.
• The A1 between Brampton and Brampton Hut will be widened to three lanes in each direction.
• The CHUMMS Strategy will be adopted with the existing A14 between the A1 and Fen Drayton being detrunked and the Huntingdon Railway Viaduct being removed.
• Further consideration will be given to the need to provide a limited access junction where the new road crosses the A1198.

You can access the PRA leaflets from the publications page where you can also see details of the reports available on the scheme.