Date announced for new A14 bypass to open

The 750m long viaduct carries the new A14 over the River Great Ouse

The new bypass will run between Ellington and Swavesey and is part of a £1.5 billion project to upgrade 21 miles of the A14 between Cambridge and Huntingdon.

Last month, the Government announced that the bypass would open to traffic in December, a full year ahead of schedule. Now Highways England is setting out how the road layout will change and what drivers can expect on the new road.

A map showing the new bypass and revised junction numbers

Highways England project director David Bray said: “Opening the Huntingdon Southern Bypass is a huge achievement in the delivery of this major road upgrade and I’d like to thank road users, residents and stakeholders for their patience and support during construction.

“Opening the new bypass will start to unlock many of the project’s benefits and, together with the upgraded section of the A1 between Alconbury and Buckden which opened earlier this year, means that the western section of the transformed A14 is essentially complete.

“Like any new road it will take some time for drivers to get used to driving on it, especially when the junctions have a new layout, and some have been renumbered. Please drive safely and enjoy the new road.”

From December 9, when the new bypass opens to traffic, drivers travelling eastbound on the new bypass will still have to join a section of 40mph narrow lanes roadworks from the Swavesey junction so should look out for the signs when they approach the area.

Variable mandatory speed limits will help to manage traffic to reduce congestion and ensure safety.

Slow moving vehicles will be prohibited from the new bypass and will be directed to use alternative local access roads.

The junction numbers on the A14 between Ellington and Bar Hill will change when the bypass opens as there will be fewer junctions than on the old A14. New A14 junction numbers will be as follows:

. New Ellington, junction 21

. Brampton interchange, junction 22

. Godmanchester and A1198, junction 23

. Swavesey, junction 24

. Bar Hill, junction 25.

All A14 junctions east of and including Girton, as well as the A1 junctions, will maintain their existing junction numbers.

Work on the rest of the project, between Swavesey and Milton, continues and is on schedule to be completed as planned by December 2020.