Diversions, closures and speed restrictions
We're trying to minimise road closures and keep traffic flowing as much as possible while the improvements are carried out. Stay up to date with diversions, road closures and current restrictions on this page.
While it won't always be possible to completely avoid some short-term delays and congestion, we have looked at lots of different scenarios and outcomes to keep open as many lanes as we can. We are working closely with local authorities to keep traffic moving as much as possible during construction.
What you can expect to see:
The A1, A421 and A428 will mainly remain open for the duration of the works.
There will be occasional overnight closures and full weekend closures, when we'll need to connect the new and existing roads, build bridges, and unload sizeable items of equipment or materials.
We're committed to being a good neighbour - so we're working hard with our contractors to plan and phase the construction, to really minimise impacts to all road users and the local community.
Current closures
Bedford Road four-way lights - February 2025
We will be carrying out works to divert the existing utilities next to Bedford Road and installing new drainage.
To ensure the safety of both our workforce and the public, temporary four-way traffic lights will be place on Bedford Road from Monday 3 to Friday 21 February 2025. The traffic lights will be installed at either end of the worksite on Bedford Road, Roxton Road and the access to Roxton Garden Centre.
Bedford Road overnight closure - February 2025
We will be carrying out ducting installation on Bedford Road. This involves placing protective tubes or under or alongside the road. These ducts are used to house cables or pipes for utilities like electricity, internet, water, or gas.
To ensure the safety of both our workforce and the public, Bedford Road will be closed overnight from 8pm Monday 17 to 6am Tuesday 18 February 2025.
Diversion:
- From Bedford Road, traffic will be diverted towards Great Barford on Bedford Road and St Neots Road.
- Join the A421 eastbound at the Renhold Interchange heading towards the Black Cat roundabout
Road users travelling from Black Cat roundabout are to use the same diversion route but in reverse.
A1 northbound overnight closures - February 2025
We will be carrying out removal of electrical cables on the A1 northbound carriageway between the Black Cat roundabout and Wyboston.
To ensure the safety of both our workforce and the public, the A1 northbound will be closed overnight (8pm to 6am) from Monday 24 February to Saturday 01 March 2025.
Diversion:
- A1 northbound traffic will be diverted off the A1 at Tempsford and continue north on Barford Road.
- Traffic will then head west on the A428 via St Neots and rejoin the A1 northbound at Wyboston.
From A421, traffic will be diverted south along the A1. You will then be diverted off the A1 at Tempsford and continue north on Barford Road. Traffic will then head west on the A428 via St Neots and rejoin the A1 northbound at Wyboston.
A428 weekend closure - February 2025
We are carrying out preparatory works for the upcoming adjustments to the A428 road layout at Tithe Farm roundabout (St Neots) and at Eltisley. This includes installation a new temporary safety barrier and resurfacing work.
To ensure the safety of both our workforce and the public, the A428 will be closed between Tithe Farm roundabout (St Neots) and Caxton Gibbet roundabout from 8pm on Friday 21 to 5am on Monday 24 February 2025.
Diversion:
- Traffic will be diverted along the A428 towards St Neots and the A1
- Continue north on A1 to Brampton Hut
- Return on A1 southbound to join A14 eastbound, leave A14 at A1198 Ermine Street and follow diversion signage along A1198 to Caxton Gibbet roundabout
We estimate an additional journey time of 25 minutes.
Roxton Road closure - February 2025
We will be carrying out work to install new utilities on Roxton Road.
To ensure the safety of both our workforce and the public, Roxton Road will be closed in both directions during the day (6am to 6pm) on Saturday 22 February and Sunday 23 February 2025.
Pedestrians requiring access to the footpath through the worksite or use of the bridge on Roxton Road will be escorted by a member of the site team.
Diversion:
- From Roxton Road, road users will be diverted along The Lane where they will join the A1 northbound and head towards Wyboston roundabout.
- From the Black Cat roundabout, road users will be diverted northbound on the A1 and the west along The Lane.
A421 closure - March 2025
We will be carrying out major construction work, including a concrete pour, on the new Roxton Road bridge over the A421.
To ensure the safety of both our workforce and the public, the A421 between Renhold Interchange and the Black Cat roundabout will be closed in both directions from 6am Saturday 1 until 5am Sunday 2 March 2025.
Diversion:
- Eastbound traffic on the A421 will be diverted via the A603 at Cardington to A1 northbound at Sandy to Black Cat roundabout.
- Westbound traffic on the A421 will be diverted via the A1 Black Cat roundabout southbound to Sandy to the A603 to join the A421 westbound at Cardington.
Roxton Road closure - March 2025
We will be carrying out ducting installation on Roxton Road. This involves placing protective tubes or under or alongside the road. These ducts are used to house cables or pipes for utilities like electricity, internet, water, or gas.
To ensure the safety of both our workforce and the public, Roxton Road will be closed from 6am Saturday 1 to 6am Monday 3 March 2025.
Pedestrians requiring access to the footpath through the worksite or use of the bridge on Roxton Road will be escorted by a member of the site team.
Diversion:
- From Roxton Road, road users will be diverted along The Lane where they will join the A1 northbound and head towards Wyboston roundabout.
From the Black Cat roundabout, road users will be diverted northbound on the A1 and the west along The Lane.
Please remember that closures can change at short notice. You can check the latest information on our daily closures page or find live travel information on our Traffic England site. Our travel alerts give details of live incidents on our network.
There are no current closures
Give us your feedback
Use our A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet improvements feedback tool to have your say.
This tool features an interactive map, allowing you to click on specific locations to leave targeted comments or provide general feedback.
ECHO is a one-way feedback tool, so if you'd like a response to your feedback you can email the project team at:info@a428.co.uk
Longer term closures
Temporary road layout at A1 / A421 Black Cat roundabout
In January 2024, we made a temporary switch to the road layout at the Black Cat roundabout as we began work to upgrade the junction. This temporary layout has allowed traffic to continue to pass through the roundabout smoothly - removing the need to close any part of the road permanently.
The current road layout will be in place until spring 2025.
Please be assured that we take your feedback extremely seriously and have been monitoring the area constantly since implementation. We monitor via live CCTV, as well as multiple daily visits to site at various times of the day, in daylight as well as in the dark.
Cycle, pedestrian and horse rider route closure, Caxton Gibbet
Cycle, pedestrian and horse rider route closure, Caxton Gibbet
As part of our work, we need to close the cycleway, pedestrian and horse rider route (73/17) just north of the existing roundabout.
While these works take place, cyclists, pedestrians, and horse riders will be directed along a diversion route, running eastward along the A1198 Ermine Street, avoiding our worksites and rejoining the road at Brockley Road.
We estimate the diversion will make journeys longer by:
- 5 minutes for cyclists
- 15 minutes for walkers
An upgraded route will open to cyclists, pedestrians, and horse riders in spring 2027.
Temporary closure of Cambridge Road (Eltisley)
Temporary closure of Cambridge Road (Eltisley) - 27 August 2024 to Spring 2025
As part of our work to upgrade Eltisley junction, we need to divert utilities and raise the level of the existing road.
To do this safely and efficiently, we'll need to close Cambridge Road for an extended period of time from Tuesday 27 August 2024.
We expect the work to be complete and the road reopened by spring 2025.
Diversion
Travelling from the A428
Traffic will be diverted along west of the A428 and then south onto the B1040 and east into Eltisley on the St Neots Road.
Travelling from The Green
Traffic will be diverted east out of Eltisley along St Neots Road, then north onto B1040 to the A428.
Permanent closure of A1 access from Chawston Lane
Permanent closure of A1 access from Chawston Lane - 30 August to Spring 2025
On Friday 30 August 2024, we'll permanently close the access to and from the A1 on Chawston Lane.
This will allow us speed up construction of the new Roxton Road link without multiple road closures.
The new link road is expected to be complete in spring 2025.
If you live on Chawston lane, you will still have access to your property. However, you will need to follow the dedicated diversion route.
Diversion
Travelling from Chawston Lane
Traffic will be diverted south down Roxton Road until it reaches the junction with Bedford Road. Road users will then head east towards the Black Cat roundabout or west towards Roxton village.
Travelling towards Chawston Lane
Traffic will be diverted north up Roxton Road until it reaches the junction with Chawston Lane.
Planning diversions, traffic management and speed limits
We've monitored traffic volumes at 24 different locations ahead of construction. We'll continue monitoring it throughout construction.
Highest safe speed
We've assessed that a 40mph temporary speed limit is necessary to protect road users and our workforce.
The temporary speed limit allows junctions to operate at their normal capacity. This means we'll need fewer full road closures.
Carriageway and slip road closures
We've planned our work to keep road closures, diversions and road layout changes to a minimum.
As far as possible, we'll only use closures for for essential works, like demolition or major phasing changes.
We'll use static narrowed lanes and temporary alignments to maximise working space. This will help us keep the number of full closures as low as possible. For example, we'll keep two lanes open on the A421 eastbound when we start construction.
Later in construction, we'll use some of the newly constructed slip roads to keep the traffic moving. We'll use slip roads and link roads to create a temporary ‘large gyratory’ at the Black Cat while we build the new A1 underpass.
How we choose diversion routes
We're committed to giving you safe and suitable diversions around closures. We'll only use diversion routes that can take the type and volume of traffic that's being diverted.
Diversion routes will stick to major A roads on our road network, minimising rat running on local roads. We'll agree diversion routes with the relevant local authorities.
We must follow the diversions set out in the development consent order (which is like our planning permission).
We'll reduce disruption by managing traffic with clear signs and advance warning.
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