Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority makes preparations for the permanent closure of Kings Dyke Crossing

The cost of permanently closing the railway level crossing at Kings Dyke, which was rendered redundant with the opening of the new bypass, will reach £1.9 million.

Members of the Transport and Infrastructure Committee of the Combined Authority are expected next week to ask for £1.9 million for the closure scheme, which follows the official opening of a new road bridge over the railway, between Peterborough and Whittlesey.

The money, which is slightly less than the £2.1 million predicted in July 2022 to be needed for the closure, will be used to partly fill Star Pit to support the embankment for the new bridge.

This was a complex piece of engineering and needed additional work other than that originally planned for, but was always within the construction scheme.

The railway level crossing has caused much anguish to drivers during the more than 50 years that former Cllr Ralph Butcher campaigned to have it bypassed.

It provides a solution to the road traffic queues that used to build up at the rail crossing at King’s Dyke between Whittlesey and Peterborough and has been needed locally for many years.

The level crossing at Kings Dyke used to lead to significant traffic jams and delays, especially at peak times with the crossing down for between 12 to 23 minutes per hour, leading to major delays, and the number of trains is set to increase which made the issue more severe.

By creating the new road crossing and closing the existing level crossing it has removed the significant traffic blockage of the level crossing, increased safety and reduced the risk of accidents, decreased traffic jams and delays on the A605 and surrounding roads, improved connections to Whittlesey and the wider region and supported economic growth and housing development in that area.

The new road and bridge crossing the railway has been named the ‘Ralph Butcher Causeway’ in his honour.

The meeting of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority Infrastructure Committee takes place on Wednesday, 14 September 2022.