About the scheme
Find out more about our scheme and the benefits it’ll bring
The A1, A421, and A428 around Black Cat roundabout (Bedfordshire) and Caxton Gibbet roundabout (Cambridgeshire) are well known for heavy traffic and frequent delays.
Our scheme will provide a new 10-mile dual carriageway and upgrades to Black Cat and Caxton Gibbet junctions.
This means quicker, safer and more reliable journeys for thousands of road users every day.
The new dual carriageway will replace the only stretch of single carriageway between:
- the M1 near Milton Keynes
- the east coast ports of Harwich and Folkstone
This will help give more access to jobs in Milton Keynes, Cambridge and everywhere in between.
Once complete, journeys at peak times are expected to be cut by 10 minutes. This will save businesses and road users an hour and a half in travel time over a working week.
Our scheme will -
Provide quicker and more reliable journeys
Our improvements will ease congestion, improve journey time reliability, and provide safer journeys for thousands every day.
Once complete, journeys at peak times are expected to be cut by 10 minutes. This will save drivers an hour and a half in travel time over a working week.
Improve safety
The new 10-mile dual carriageway and junction upgrades will enhance road safety by:
- separating local and long-distance traffic
- reducing congestion
- lowering the risk of accidents.
Help life in local villages
We'll remove the temptation for drivers to use local roads to avoid congestion by building a new dual carriageway.
This will remove more than 4,000 vehicles from:
- the A428 (to be reclassified the B1428)
- the roads that connect local villages such as Eltisley, Croxton, and Yelling.
Improve travel for cyclists, walkers and horse riders
We'll improve routes and crossings between local villages and communities, including:
- 10 new crossings
- approximately 5.2 miles of new shared footways and cycleways
Encourage economic growth
We'll create an important new connection between Milton Keynes and Cambridge - an area the government has identified for growth.
By making it easier for people to reach jobs, our project will help boost the regional economy.
Protect the environment
We'll take steps to reduce our scheme's impact on the environment and cut our carbon emissions. We also aim to:
- improve air quality
- lower noise levels
- support local wildlife
Leave a positive legacy in the local community
We’re working closely with local councils, parish leaders, and community groups to create a lasting, positive impact in the community.
Our legacy fund will provide £2 million in grants to local causes and initiatives in Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire throughout construction.
Do you have land or property near our works?
Learn more about what you can do when our work affects your property.
Development Consent Order
This scheme is a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP), which means it’s classed as a large, complex infrastructure project that benefits the entire country.
Register of Requirements
This is a record of requirements that require further approval by the Secretary of State. It gives the status of the requirement (whether approval has been applied for or given) as well as
links to documents that contain approval details.
A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet Improvements DCO: Register of Requirements
A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet Road Improvement scheme Development Consent Order
To build the scheme, we needed to gain a special type of planning permission called a Development Consent Order (DCO) from the Planning Inspectorate.
A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet Road Improvement scheme Development Consent Order (made by the Secretary of State for Transport 18 August 2022)
Consultations
These are the consultations we've conducted to develop our proposals for this scheme:
2020
Consultation - gas pipeline works - 11 November to 18 December 2020
We consulted on the diversion of a high pressure gas pipeline.
Notice of consultation - gas pipeline works
Plan of gas pipeline
Plan of gas pipeline and affected land
A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet improvements - supplementary consultation - 24 June 2020 to 15 September 2020
We consulted on proposals for some changes to the scheme. These included changes to the development boundary as well as changes to areas such as landscaping, flood management, and local access.
2019
A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet improvements - 3 June 2019 to 28 July 2019
We consulted on our proposals to improve journeys between Milton Keynes and Cambridge with a new 10 mile dual carriageway between the Black Cat and Caxton Gibbet roundabouts. We also wanted your views on a number of new and improved junctions along the route.
2017
A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet - 6 March 2017 to 23 April 2017
We asked for feedback on our proposals to improve journeys by creating a new dual carriageway and improve the Black Cat junction on the A1. We put forward four options to improve the route and 3 options to upgrade the Black Cat roundabout.
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