Project Breakdown

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Client: Highways England and the A14 Integrated Delivery Team

Location: A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon improvement scheme

Project value: £1.5bn

Live dates: June 2016 - March 2020 (with work still ongoing between Swavesey and Milton until end 2020)

Division and product: Road Barrier Systems; BG800 temporary barrier, Tau Crash Cushions

 

Project background

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The A14 Cambridge to Huntington improvement scheme has been a major project for Highways England, the UK's biggest road upgrade in construction at the time, in fact. The 21-mile project included a major new 12-mile bypass, the Huntingdon Southern Bypass, which opened a full year ahead of schedule, as well as the widening of the sections of existing A14 and A1.

The remainder of the scheme is progressing well and is set to open to traffic in Spring 2020, more than half a year early, meaning better and safer journeys for everyone sooner than expected.

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The A14 carries around 85,000 vehicles per day so it is imperative it is in the best condition. 26% of this traffic is HGV traffic, where the national average is 10%. Prior to the upgrade, the road was frequently congested and traffic was often disrupted by breakdowns, accidents and roadworks.  The section of the route between Huntingdon and Cambridge also carries a high level of commuter and long-distance traffic, as it provides a strategic link between the A1 and M11 motorway, as well as the Suffolk ports and the Midlands.

The upgrades include:

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• New 12-mile bypass south of Huntingdon

• Widening the A1 between Brampton and Alconbury

• Widening of the existing A14

• Improving junctions on the A14

• Improving Huntingdon town centre

• Building new local access roads

 

The benefits the scheme will bring encompass:

 

• Boost the local economy

• Cut up to 20 minutes off journeys at peak times

• Unlock local and national economic growth

• Connect communities

• Improve the environment

• Create a positive legacy for the region

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Installation

Highway Care are proud to have been a part of such a crucial and significant scheme. The operations team deployed up to 30 km of BG800 temporary barrier and up to 85 crash cushions at any one time on many various junctions for the Southern Bypass part of the project.

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The barrier and crash cushions were protecting the team working on the side of the road from passing traffic, ensuring they had as much working area as possible.

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The project which started for Highway Care in June 2016 and finished in January 2020, involved supplying, installing, removing and maintaining BG800 barrier. This included maintaining the barriers once installed.

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The operative team worked tirelessly to keep BG800 on the active parts of the A14 scheme, both day and night. This was a fantastic achievement for the team and highlights the operatives' capability to not only install road barrier systems but maintain them too.

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