A428 Black Cat Roundabout gains the public’s support

Following a public consultation process, the A428 Black Cat Roundabout improvement scheme by Highways England has received significant praise from members of the public and is all set to disperse the notorious traffic hotspot in the East of England.

Over the course of an eight week consultation process in the Summer of 2019, more than 2,500 people attended 17 events in the local area, with 925 people sending in detailed responses and a majority of 80 per cent of people declaring their support for the A428 Black Cat Roundabout project.

Specifically, the scheme will entail the improvement of the current Black Cat Roundabout to that of a more modern and free-flowing design, with the addition of a dual carriageway that will link the Black Cat Roundabout in Bedfordshire to the Caxton Gibbet Roundabout in Cambridgeshire.

The Highways England A428 Programme Leader, Lee Galloway stated: “People across the region have expressed strong support for this project that will help to transform one the East of England’s busiest sections of road, when we held our comprehensive consultation in the summer. It will not only play a vital role in saving commuters up to 90 minutes on their journeys each week, but also help to unlock economic benefits for the area.

“We will now continue to develop the project design to make sure we maximise the benefits of the scheme while minimising the impacts on communities, drivers and the environment. While the consultation showed strong support for our proposals, there were also a few important points raised within the consultation feedback, which we will endeavour to address.

“We remain committed to opening the new road in 2025/26, and we will continue to work closely with stakeholders, communities and customers as the project progresses.”

The Roads Minister, Baroness Vere added: “This Government is committed to delivering an infrastructure revolution. This upgrade would help drivers get to their destination quicker, cut traffic on local village roads and ensure communities across the East of England are better connected. We will now work with Highways England to develop the proposal further.”

Highways England await the approval of a Planning Consent Order which is due to be decided in the Summer of 2020 and, should approval be granted, construction will go ahead in late 2022.

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