Major £5.5 million Peterborough roadworks scheme completed to help flow of traffic

Work has been going on to widen Horsey Toll Bridge and the create a dedicated right-hand turning lane to Pondersbridge.

The works were completed on the A605/B1095 junction at the end of July to ease congestion, particularly during peak travel times.

The works cost £5.5million and were funded thanks to money from the Department for Transport, Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority and Peterborough City Council.

Before the project started, the highways team at Peterborough City Council and Milestone Infrastructure created a temporary access road to reduce the road closures onto the B1095 (Milk and Water Drove) to help motorists and local shopkeepers in the area. They also liaised with colleagues from Cambridgeshire County Council who were working on the nearby Kings Dyke road scheme to minimise disruption to motorists travelling to and from Whittlesey.

The project started in September 2020 and was completed on time by summer 2021, despite delays caused by the need for Covid-19 social distancing whilst on site.

Councillor Peter Hiller, cabinet member for strategic planning, commercial strategy and investments at Peterborough City Council, said: “This is a junction which caused significant delays for motorists travelling in and out of the city during rush hour traffic. The works have now been completed successfully and on time.

“On behalf of our highways team, I would like to thank motorists, residents, business owners for their patience during the roadworks and hope they have noticed a marked improvement to the flow of traffic at this junction.”

Dr Nik Johnson, Mayor of Cambridgeshire & Peterborough said: “There’s been good cooperation to unblock this pinchpoint, delivering a great result for the community. Who needs traffic jams, puffing out fumes? We want car journeys to be shorter, less stressful for drivers and passengers, and less harmful for the environment. Getting our roads flowing more efficiently is a major step towards being able to improve our bus network – improving how people get into and around Peterborough, whether walking, cycling, on public transport, or by car, will make life better for residents and more attractive to those who want to visit this great city, invest in it, or do business here.”

Scott Blackburn, project manager for Milestone Infrastructure, said: “Widening an existing bridge and carriageway whilst ensuring that traffic restrictions were kept to a minimum was a major challenge for the team and we thank the public for their patience throughout the works. Central to the success of this project was the strong working relationship and collaboration between Peterborough City Council and Milestone Infrastructure. My thanks to everyone who worked so hard to deliver this critical infrastructure that will help reduce future congestion in the city.”

Cllr Chris Harper, ward councillor for Stanground South at Peterborough City Council, said: “Together with my ward colleagues, councillors Brian Rush and Ray Bisby, we put a lot of work into having this junction recognised as a major city pinch-point, secure its inclusion in the five year local transport plan, and successfully push for funding from the combined authority and council.

“We’re really pleased the scheme has been delivered as promised and on time and would like to express our sincere thanks to the combined authority, former council leader Cllr John Holdich, current council leader Cllr Wayne Fitzgerald and cabinet member Cllr Peter Hiller for their help delivering this long awaited road improvement scheme and a job well done.”