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• A14 Ellington to Fen Ditton

 Frequently Asked Questions from the draft Orders exhibitions held in October 2009

Q. What is the progress of the scheme to date?

A.  Preferred Route Announcements were made in March 2007 (Fen Drayton to Fen Ditton) and October 2007 (Ellington to Fen Drayton). These showed the line the preferred route would take. A contract was awarded to Costain Skanska JV in January 2008 to design the entire scheme and to build part of it. The publication of the proposals as draft Orders is the next major step in the scheme's progress.  The draft Orders exhibition displays the scheme proposals, copies of the draft Orders and the Environmental Statement will be available at the event.

Q. What happens at the draft Orders exhibitions?

A.  The exhibition is to assist the statutory process. It provides an opportunity for all stakeholders, including members of the public, to look at the proposals, (draft Orders, plans and Environmental Statement) and ask questions regarding any of the details that they are concerned about.  It is as important to comment on aspects that you are in favour of as those with which you have concerns. Following the period allowed for comment, the next stage in the process is either for the Orders to be 'made' or if any objections are not withdrawn, then a Public Inquiry will be held in front of an independent Inspector.

Q. What is the project timetable?

A. This is the current project timetable - 

• 30 September 2009 - Publish Draft Orders
• Summer 2010 - Public inquiry (if required)
• Summer 2011 -Secretaries of State's decision
• Spring 2012 - Start of Works
• 2015 - 2016 Opening in stages. Strategic route (the new A14) could be open to traffic winter 2015/16
• 2016 - Completion of Huntingdon works by end of 2016 at the earliest.

Q. Throughout its development there have been those who have doubted whether this scheme would ever get off the ground. With the current financial crisis can you reassure the public/stakeholders/media that this scheme will not be compromised in any way?

A.  We are committed to progressing the A14 Ellington to Fen Ditton Improvement Scheme. However, as with any major road improvement scheme, funds for construction of the A14 Ellington to Fen Ditton improvement will only be finally committed when the construction work is ready to start.

Q. Can you provide a brief summary of the scheme details?

• A new two lane dual carriageway to the west of Huntingdon between Ellington and the A1.
• A new three lane dual carriageway between A1 and Fen Drayton around the south of Huntingdon and Godmanchester.
• Widening of the existing A14 to three lanes in each direction between Fen Drayton and Fen Ditton. Local access roads alongside the widened A14 between Fen Drayton and Girton to separate local and strategic traffic. (The old A14 between Huntingdon and Fen Drayton will remain and provide for a continuous local road, to 2 lane dual carriageway standard, between Huntingdon to Cambridge) 
• Major interchanges with the A1 at Brampton, the existing A14 at Fen Drayton and the M11/A428 at Girton.
• Removal of the viaduct carrying the A14 over Huntingdon railway station and replacement with new link roads connecting into Brampton Road
• Where the existing A14 is bypassed by the new widened section of A14, it will be de-trunked and transferred to Cambridgeshire County Council, and will remain as a very important route.

Q. When will construction start?

A.  The revised timetable has a start of work date of spring 2012.

Q. Why do you even need to publish draft Orders?

A. We have to follow the statutory processes required to deliver a road scheme, part of that is publication of draft Orders. Draft Orders gives people the right to object, welcome the plans or even suggest alternative routes and proposals.

Q. Why has there been a delay to publication of the draft Orders?

A. We were originally hoping that draft orders and the Environmental statement could be published in the spring (2009) but additional time was required to carry out further work to ensure that our assessment of future traffic flows was as accurate as possible.  Accurate traffic predictions are an essential part of the Environmental Statement for the scheme, which assesses the impact on the environment of both the road improvement and the traffic predicted to use it.

Q: Why was further work on traffic flows needed? Surely you should have anticipated what you would need regarding traffic flows from the outset?

A: The Environmental Statement had been prepared using an earlier version of the traffic model and it would have been unacceptable to publish it without using the recently updated traffic forecasting guidance.

New technical guidance entitled "Forecasting for Uncertainties" became mandatory for schemes on 1 April 2009 and had not been taken into account in the previous traffic forecast model.  The revised publication date for draft Orders (September 2009) meant we could include this within the scheme.

This will ensure that all matters are fully addressed at publication of draft Orders stage, therefore reducing the risk of delays later on in the programme

Q. But this is just another delay to the scheme, so surely the completion date has moved?

A. The new strategic route could be open to traffic in winter 2015/16. However the work in Huntingdon can not commence until the new road is complete; therefore we expect the work in Huntingdon, including the demolition of the viaduct currently carrying the A14, to be completed by the end of 2016 at the earliest.

Q. When will construction finish?

A. The new strategic route could be open to traffic in winter 2015/16 with the work in Huntingdon, including the demolition of the viaduct currently carrying the A14, completed by the end of 2016 at the earliest.

Q. How sure are you of this timetable? It has changed in the past.

A.  We have been and are continuing to progress delivery of this scheme as quickly as we can. We plan (subject to the requisite statutory process, including public inquiry) to complete all the works by 2016 at the earliest.

Q: Why has the timetable changed since earlier in the year?

A. Our programme was very ambitious, i.e. start works on site by the end of 2010. For some time we continued to aim for this challenging date. As part of the work we have been doing to prepare detailed scheme proposals (i.e. the draft Orders), our team has been able to carry out detailed planning for all the required processes from the point of publishing draft Orders through to the construction activities.

Q. Do you not give yourself enough time?

A. We had originally planned to allow the minimum required timescale between publication of Orders and any Public Inquiry - however we are now allowing the maximum permitted time for the public to consider and respond to our proposals and for all involved to prepare for a Public Inquiry, if required.

Q. How much will the scheme cost?

A. We can't be precise about the costs of this scheme until we are ready to start construction; this is normal for large and complex road schemes.  We use a Range Estimate that is based upon many factors including inflation, allowances for risks that may arise and cumulative increase in general construction and land costs.
  
The current range estimate based on the Contractor's Initial Estimate (IE) is £941 million to £1286 million, based on a start of works in spring 2012.  This Range Estimate was approved on 10/08/2009.  The main cause of the increase in cost relates to changes in scope and the inflation effects of a delayed start of works date.

Q: How much more is this delay going to cost the taxpayer for improvements that need to happen now?

A. The main cause of the increase in cost relates to changes in the scope of the scheme, including the addition of work to install gantries and cable technology; work to substantially reconstruct the River Cam bridge and the inflation effects based on the revised start of work date.

Q. Why are you not progressing this scheme under the new Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC) process? This is supposed to be quicker than the existing Public Inquiry process.

A. Although the intention of the new Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC) process is to reduce the time taken to make decisions on large infrastructure schemes, it is not yet fully operational and is not taking applications until March 2010. Even under their procedures it is likely that the whole process would take around 14 months. This timescale is similar to the time we expect the process to take for the A14 Ellington to Fen Ditton scheme should a Public Inquiry be required. 

ROAD LAYOUT AND TRAFFIC ISSUES

Q. What will the traffic effects be on where I live?

A.  The intention is to improve the A14 and ensure that both long distance and local commuting traffic use the route rather than unsuitable local roads.

Currently a significant proportion of traffic that should be using the A14 is using alternative less suitable routes. This is known as 'rat-running'. 

Our traffic modelling shows that, when compared to doing nothing, traffic in general would reduce in the communities if the scheme is implemented.

Q. The Road will be overcrowded when it opens, why is it not being built bigger?

A.  The road design allows for expected growth in traffic volumes up to 2031, according to our traffic modelling.

Q. Why are you not widening beyond Fen Ditton and Quy?

A.  The scope of the scheme is based on the Cambridge to Huntingdon Multi Modal Study (CHUMMS) recommendation. Traffic flows on this section have been modelled and widening is not considered necessary at this time.

However, we are widening the A14 at Kettering and recently launched the public consultation for this scheme - see link to press notice: http://www.highways.gov.uk/news/pressrelease.aspx?pressreleaseid=406419

The Highways Agency is also delivering £70m worth of improvements to key sections of the A14 between Felixstowe and the M1 by installing congestion-busting technology to help improve journey time reliability for road users - see link to the press notice here: http://www.highways.gov.uk/news/pressrelease.aspx?pressreleaseid=404535

Q. The road with 10 lanes between Girton and Fen Drayton is too large; does it have to be this big?

A.  One of the key principles behind the improvement of the A14 is to separate out long distance and local traffic.  Our traffic model is forecasting that between Fen Drayton and Girton, 3 lanes in each direction is required for long distance traffic and 2 lanes in each direction is required for local traffic.

CONSTRUCTION ISSUES

Q. What hours will the work be carried out in and how will the noise be kept down, particularly on the Cambridge Northern Bypass?

A.  As with all our roadworks we will do all we can to limit any delays and to keep as many lanes open as possible, especially during peak periods on our roads. We all work hard to limit noise wherever possible.

Every effort will be made to manage any impact with advance notification, technique, and planning. 

Q. You will be building the scheme at the same time as Northstowe, have you considered the effect of both major construction projects being built at the same time? (Oakington, Swavesey, Cottenham, Over, Girton, Longstanton, Willingham)

A.  The A14 scheme is currently planned to proceed ahead of the Northstowe development and therefore currently considers it without the impact of Northstowe being an issue. Should the projects run concurrently we will maintain close management and liaison with all parties and specifically address any local concerns.

AIR QUALITY

Q. Will the new road increase air pollution?

A.  The results from the assessment show that the scheme would generally result in a beneficial impact, with a reduction in concentrations for the majority of properties (over 2000) within the A14 corridor.

We have updated the assessment with the latest traffic data, to determine the effect of the scheme and these results are published in the Environmental Statement (ES). When considered across the whole scheme, no worsening of the overall air quality is expected - there are a large number of properties in the Huntingdon and Godmanchester area with an expected improvement with the scheme.

Q. How will air pollution be mitigated?

A.  This matter is more fully addressed in the relevant section of the Environmental Statement, however there are not expected to be any scheme-specific mitigation measures for pollution as the scheme is intended to relieve existing traffic congestion thus reducing pollutant emissions. The scheme has also been designed to keep the new section of the A14 away from properties as far as possible, and to place the realigned sections of the existing A14 further from properties where practicable e.g. at Bar Hill.

Air pollutants arise from the combustion of fuel in vehicles travelling along roads. Concentrations are highest near the roadside, as studies have shown that emissions disperse rapidly away from the source. As newer, cleaner vehicles come onto the roads to replace the more polluting older vehicles, pollutant concentrations should continue to decrease.

NOISE

Q. What measures are you taking to reduce noise and will they work?

A.  Measures to reduce noise levels will be incorporated into the design of the scheme wherever they are effective and practicable. All new road surfaces will be 'reduced noise' type. Environmental barriers and earth bunds will be constructed wherever they can be shown to be effective. The effectiveness of environmental barriers and earth bunds for screening noise generally diminishes with distance.

Q. Will you provide noise barriers and what form will they take?

A.  The intended location of the noise barriers is indicated on the plans.  The form would be determined at the detailed design stage and would take into account the required acoustic performance and (where necessary) measures to counter adverse effects of noise reflection to noise sensitive areas. The choice of materials and appearance would be made at the detailed design stage and would take the character of the location into account, within the limitations imposed by the heights required.

The two major types will be earth barriers (bunds) or purpose built noise fencing.

Q. Can we have planting to screen the road?

A.  There will be substantial belts and areas of planting to screen views of the road and to blend the new road into the existing landscape pattern; the planting will be combined with earth mounds in places. It should be noted that the acoustic benefits of planting are limited and variable - other measures will be included (see above).

NON MOTORISED USERS - e.g. pedestrians

Q. What provision for non-drivers is provided by the scheme?

A.  The Scheme includes a range of proposals for pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders that improve safety and maintain access, with a few new links added. The existing bridge at Bar Hill would remain and provide a new dedicated crossing for non-drivers.

Q. Why are you not providing a Cycle bridge or a similar provision at Histon Junction?

A.  The levels of the former local road and the junction slip roads are not suitable for an over bridge in the same way as the Jane Coston Bridge at the Milton junction.  After considering the practicality and costs of providing a subway route under the slip road to the inside of the roundabout and then over the inside edge of existing western bridge, this suggestion has not been included in the design of the scheme. The reasons for this are that the existing junction already caters for cyclists and pedestrians and the bridleway being provided alongside the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway will also provide a commuter route from the Histon area into the northern suburbs of Cambridge.

At liaison meetings, Cambridgeshire County Council has indicated that are considering possible additional provision for cycles at this junction.

Q. What is proposed for cycle provision along on line section from Fen Drayton to Girton Interchange?

A.  The scheme includes a two-way cycleway from Bar Hill past Dry Drayton junction and through the Girton interchange to Huntingdon Road, where it would end at a proposed Pegasus crossing that allows access to the existing cycle facilities along Huntingdon Road and to the proposed bridleway connections to the north and south. Working from the west, the new cycleway would use the edge of the redundant carriageway area from the existing A14, then along access roads being provided for local properties and a track along the south side of the Local Access Road (LAR) through the interchange, taking advantage of the remaining part of the Bull's Close underpass to cross the M11. In places this would be set back from road traffic and in places would be adjacent to the traffic but separated by an anti-dazzle fence. It would be 3m wide for most of its length, reducing to 2 or 2.5m at structures.