The Highways Agency has published the draft orders for the widening of the A14. These are the plans that they’ve got for widening it, the changes they’ll be making to associated roads etc. With all of this goes an Environmental Statement covering the noise, air quality, drainage etc. impacts.
The proposals will directly affect Milton and the country park as the A14 is to be widened to three lanes each way on the stretch past us.
Specifically it will be three lanes each way from Histon. Judging by the video on the Cambridge News web site (it’s long but start at 24:00 to watch it from the Girton interchange onwards or 27:00 from Histon onwards – we will have a shorter version online on our web site shortly) at the A10 interchange the nearside lanes will peel off up onto the roundabout so only two lanes each way will go under the junction as now but then there will again be three lanes each way to the Fen Ditton junction where the nearside lanes will again peel off.
The video shows no sign of any sound barriers on the Milton side on the stretch from the A10 to Fen Ditton. If that’s at all accurate then it will have a significant noise impact on the village and the country park as the A14 goes onto an embankment for that section in order to cross the railway line and the river.
There is an exhibition about this proposal at the University Arms hotel, Cambridge this Thursday, Friday and Saturday (15-17/10) from 10am to 8pm, and Sunday (18/10) from 10am to 6pm.
If you’ve got concerns about noise or air quality (or anything else about how this is to be done) then you need to start with the exhibition!
You can also view the plans, but without anyone to provide interpretation or answer your questions, at the bowls pavilion on Coles Road any day this week. Please check with the clerk’s office before visiting as they will need to give you access.
We will have until 6th January 2010 to log comments and objections. Being heard at the public inquiry will be dependent on what is sent in by then.
(This article is based on a similar posting on the Histon and Impington web site.)
