Diversions, closures and speed restrictions
Check this page regularly for the latest updates on road closures, diversions, and speed restrictions
Current closures
A428 weekend closures - August and September 2025
We are connecting the new Cambridge Road, Eltisley, to the A428.
To work safely, we'll close the A428 between Tithe Farm roundabout and Caxton Gibbet roundabout from:
- 8pm Friday 29 August to 6am Monday 1 September 2025
- 8pm Friday 12 to Monday 6am 15 September 2025
Diversion
We will divert traffic on the A428 towards St Neots joining the A1 northbound at Wyboston Interchange:
- Drivers will leave the A1 at Brampton
- taking the A14 eastbound onto the A1198 Ermine Street towards Caxton Gibbet.
A1 weekend closure - 19 to 22 September 2025
Works
We're installing a new culvert under the A1 carriageway near Kelpie Marine.
A culvert is a structure that allows water to flow beneath a road that is designed to manage water from streams, drainage channels, or rainfall. Culverts help prevent flooding by directing water safely under the road, maintaining the integrity of the highway and ensuring safe travel for road users.
Closure and Diversion
We'll close the A1 will be closed in both directions between Tempsford and Black Cat roundabout from 9pm Friday 19 to 5am Monday 22 September 2025.
We'll divert northbound traffic:
- off the A1 at Tempsford
- onto St Neots Road and joining the A428 at St Neots
- re-join the A1 northbound at the Wyboston junction
Southbound traffic will use the same diversion route in reverse.
See A1 weekend closure diversion route map
Bedford Road overnight closures - 22 to 25 September 2025
Works
We're building a new traffic island on Bedford Road close to the Black Cat roundabout.
We'll close Bedford Road, Roxton Garden Centre and Black Cat roundabout overnight (8pm - 6am) from Monday 22 to Thursday 25 September 2025.
Closure and Diversion
We will divert westbound traffic:
- along the A421 towards Renhold interchange
- exiting the A421 onto St Neots Road towards Great Barford
- before re-joining Bedford Road
Eastbound traffic will follow the same diversion route in reverse.
A1198 weekend closure - 26 to 29 September 2025
We're installing new street lights, utility services and drainage on the A1198 close to Caxton Gibbet north roundabout.
To work safely, we'll close the A1198 Ermine Street South between Papworth Everard and the Caxton Gibbet north roundabout.
We'll close the road from 8pm Friday 26 to 6am Monday 29 September 2025.
We'll put two-way traffic lights in place at the Caxton Gibbet north roundabout.
Diversion
- head along the A428 towards St Neots
- at the new Eltisley north roundabout, continue northbound on B1040 St Ives Road and rejoin the A1198
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.
A421 eastbound and A1 northbound overnight closures - 29 Sept to 4 Oct 2025
Works
We're installing new safety barriers and lighting on the A421 eastbound carriageway near to Black Cat roundabout.
Closure and Diversion
We'll close the A421 eastbound between Renhold interchange and Black Cat roundabout, and the A1 northbound between Tempsford and Wyboston overnight (9pm to 5am) from Monday 29 September to Thursday 4 October 2025.
We'll divert traffic:
- off the A421 at the Cardington Interchange onto the A603 towards Sandy
- at Sandy, traffic will take the A1 northbound to the Tempsford Interchange
- before exiting onto St Neots Road and joining the A428 at St Neots
- drivers will re-join the A1 northbound at the Wyboston junction
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.
Long term changes
Black Cat roundabout layout change - 18 August 2025
From Monday 18 August, we will open three new sections of road at Black Cat roundabout, linking in with the existing road network. These are:
- A421 eastbound to A1 northbound free-flow link
- A421 westbound on-slip
- Realigned Bedford Road
A421 eastbound traffic will no longer approach the Black Cat roundabout, instead taking the single-lane free-flow link directly onto the A1 northbound.
The northern section of Black Cat roundabout will remain closed restricting movement from the A421 onto the A1 southbound.
The A1 northbound and A1 southbound approaches to the Black Cat roundabout will remain unchanged.
Let us know what you think
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.
Planning diversions, traffic management and speed limits
What you can expect to see
The A1, A421, and A428 will mostly stay open while we carry out our work.
There may be some overnight and full weekend closures from time to time. We'll need these for important tasks like:
- connecting new and existing roads
- building bridges
- delivering large pieces of equipment or materials.
We're committed to being a good neighbour. That’s why we’re carefully planning our work to reduce any disruption to drivers and the local community.
Highest safe speed through roadworks
We’ve determined that a temporary speed limit of 40mph is needed to keep both road users and our workers safe.
This reduced speed limit helps junctions function as usual, which means we won’t need to close roads as often
How we choose diversion routes
We're dedicated to ensuring that any traffic diversions around road closures are safe and appropriate. We'll use diversion routes that can handle the type and amount of traffic being redirected.
The diversion routes will mainly follow major A roads to avoid heavy traffic on local streets. We'll work with local authorities to agree on the best routes.
These diversions are required by law, based on the development consent order (similar to our official approval or planning permission).
To minimise disruption, we will manage traffic carefully, providing clear signs and advance warnings to drivers.
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