Major £17 million A47 upgrade officially opened after year long works

A major upgrade of the A47 near Peterborough has been completed – with the hope it will reduce congestion for the thousands of drivers who use the junction every day.

The work to improve the Guyhirn junction was an accident blackspot, and would regularly see long queues form at peak times of the day.

Following the completion of the £17 million work, journey times are expected to be reduced by up to four minutes and capacity increased by 18 per cent. Wider lanes will also help with visibility for all road users making the junction safer.

National Highways Senior Project Manager for Guyhirn, Jonathan Donlevy, said: “This is great news for local people and those who regularly work and travel through Cambridgeshire and Norfolk.

“The improvements we have made here are just the start of the work we are undertaking over the next two years to significantly improve the A47 between Peterborough and Great Yarmouth. This will help connect local communities, ease congestion and support economic growth.”

Baroness Vere, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department of Transport, officially opened the new junction alongside local MP and Downing Street Chief of Staff

Stephen Barclay.

Mr Barclay said: “The completion of the A47 Guyhirn junction is great news for motorists, both in facilitating faster journey times and by increasing road safety for drivers and pedestrians.

“More than 20,000 vehicles use this junction and the short-term pain of roadworks during the last year will be offset by the reduced congestion and faster journeys that these improvements bring.

“The A47 is a vital route for the growth of our economy in North East Cambridgeshire and I look forward to further improvements in due course.”

Ava McCulloch – a 13yo local schoolgirl – was also present as the winner of a competition to rename the Nene Bridge, which has been widened with an additional lane for traffic approaching the Guyhirn junction. The new bridge will now be known as the Tiddy Mun Bridge. Tiddy Mun is the name of legendary bog spirit who was believed to control the waters and mists of The Fens.

Galliford Try Project Manager for Guyhirn, Tim Walker, said: “More than 120 staff have worked for over 110,000 hours to make this happen. The enlarged roundabout and additional lanes will ease congestion, ensure shorter journey times and improve safety.

“In addition to the completed Guyhirn scheme, three sections of the A47 will be upgraded to a dual carriageway. In Norfolk the A47 will be dualled between Blofield and

North Burlingham and between North Tuddenham and Easton, and in Cambridgeshire between Wansford and Sutton, the A11 Thickthorn junction interchange will also be

improved. Work on these projects is due to start in spring 2023.”

Baroness Vere of Norbiton, added: “The opening of this vital new road scheme is a significant improvement to the road network in Cambridgeshire and it was a pleasure to be here to mark the occasion today. “This is just the first of several schemes totalling an investment of nearly half a billion pounds to promote economic growth, improve road safety and journey times for local residents and people travelling through the area.”