Residents can hear answers on future of King's Dyke bypass at special Whittlesey meeting

Cambridgeshire County Council’s leader Steve Count will meet residents to discuss the project's future after it was announced a week ago that the authority had ditched contractor Kier after it increased its costs.

The long awaited scheme to end the frustrating delays at the level crossing for motorists travelling between Peterborough and Whittlesey has seen its costs balloon from an original budget of £13.6 million to nearly £39 million - an increase labelled as “preposterous” by the county’s metro mayor James Palmer and “completely unacceptable” by MP Steve Barclay.

A specially convened committee meeting in August wil agree the next steps in getting the long delayed bypass built.

It was originally due to be finished in late 2017/early 2018. The last noted timeframe for its completion was 2021, but that is now in doubt with the latest development.

RELATED: New setback for fed up motorists as council ditches contractor for King’s Dyke Level Crossing bypassCllr Count was challenged by Whittlesey councillors Chris Boden and David Connor to speak directly to Whittlesey residents about the latest setback.

The crossing will soon become a bigger nightmare for motorists due to planning permission for new homes in the area, as well as an increasing number of trains using the Ely to Peterborough rail line.

The two councillors said: "Local people want confirmation from you that the much needed and long overdue bridge at King's Dyke will indeed be built, and they want a definite timeline for that to happen.

"We deserve official, on the record, factual information from you and from the county council, otherwise the only 'facts' circulating in Whittlesey will be the ill-informed speculation currently swirling around social media."

The council has responded by putting together an exhibition outlining the issues and options for the project, where there will be plenty of opportunity to talk to officers and Cllr Count.

This will take place in Whittlesey on Monday, August 12 from 3pm to 8pm at Whittlesey Christian Church, Broad Street.

This is three days ahead of a special meeting of the Economy and Environment Committee called to consider recommendations on a way forward for the project. Comments from the event will be fed back verbally to the committee.

March resident Cllr Count, himself a regular user of the affected route, said: “I think those most affected by any decisions that we take are right to ask me, and deserve to hear and understand for themselves, the issues that we have faced so far and also fully understand the options that are going to be discussed by the committee.

“I am going to be there in person so that I can talk directly to residents and they can measure for themselves how determined I am to get this built - to put it bluntly “by seeing the whites of my eyes."