A47 Wansford to Sutton dualling

We’re upgrading the A47 between Wansford and Sutton to dual carriageway to improve safety and ease congestion.

Start date 2023-24

End date 2026

Cost £50 million - £100 million

Latest updates

04 December 2023

Road closures in December 2023

Our road maintenance team will be carrying out essential resurfacing work on the A47 during December.

To carry out the work safely, we will need to close the A47 in both directions between J15 of the A47 and Wansford to resurface the road.

We’ll be working overnight from 8pm to 6am when the traffic levels are lighter.

The road will be closed on the evenings of 9 and 10 December, and then 16 and 17 December 2023.

The diversion route will be via A1139 and the A1.
27 November 2023

3-way overnight traffic lights, 27 to 29 November

We’re carrying out some early work to enable us to construct the work site access.

The work will take place on the A47 Wansford and the Sutton Heath Road Junction

To allow us to complete this work safely, there will be three-way traffic lights overnight (from 8pm to 6am) on the road to enable us to control the flow of traffic.

We’d like to apologise for any disturbance caused by our work, and we will try to keep this to a minimum where possible.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.
09 November 2023

Road closures for maintenance survey work

A47 between junction 15/Nene Parkway and Sutton roundabout

Our road maintenance team will be carrying out essential survey work to assess the condition of the A47 between Upton Road, Sutton and junction 15.

To carry out the work safely, we will need to close the A47 eastbound between Sutton and junction 15 for 4 nights. The road will be closed overnight from 8pm to 6am each evening from Tuesday 21 to Friday 24 November, weather conditions permitting.

Closures and diversions

Whilst the A47 is closed, traffic will be diverted from Wansford southbound on the A1 towards Chesterton, then the A1139 (Fletton Parkway), and A1260 (Nene Parkway) before re-joining the A47 at junction 15 (Thomas Cook Roundabout).

Read more information about this work
02 November 2023

Traffic lights, 6 to 12 November 2023

We'll have overnight 3-way traffic lights in place from 9pm to 6am on 6 to 12 November 2023.

The work will take place on the A47 Wansford and the Sutton Heath Road Junction.

To allow us to complete this work safely, there will be three way lights on the road to enable us to control the flow of traffic

We’d like to apologise for any disturbance caused by our work, and we will try to keep this to a minimum where possible.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

3 way lights for enabling works and works access
16 October 2023
Preparation work will start soon

Our proposals were granted planning permission earlier this year. We've been holding public information events over the summer, ahead of early preparation work starting on site soon.

We’ll be doing site exploration, utility diversions, fencing, and vegetation clearance from November 2023. These activities will continue for a few months.

To manage and protect the habitats we are working alongside, and to ensure the safety of our teams, we have conducted pre-construction environmental surveys.

So far, we have done the following surveys:
- Water monitoring
- Surveys for protected species and invasive plants
- Ecological checks to ensure there are no nesting birds
- Preserving wildlife is important to us, so we are installing 17 bat boxes across our scheme to provide new habitats.
We continue to promote conservation, protection, and improvement of the environment around this project, and have identified practical steps we can take to reduce the scheme’s environmental impacts.

We are working closely with the Environment Agency, Natural England, Historic England, and Peterborough City Council to ensure that all our work complies with current environmental rules and regulations.

Read more about the project in our latest leaflet.
17 February 2023

Development Consent Order given the green light

We’ve been informed today (17 February 2023) that our Development Consent Order (DCO) planning application for this scheme has been granted. View the decision letter.

The existing A47 has one of the highest recorded accident rates for an A road in the UK. Traffic data from 2019 shows this section of the road is used by over 34,000 vehicles a day.

The scheme aims to improve road safety at Peterborough by reducing the number of accidents and consequently the number of casualties. Over a 60-year timeframe, the scheme’s improvements could prevent up to 160 accidents and save 42 people from being killed or seriously injured.  

For more information on the DCO and to view the planning documents, visit the Planning Inspectorate website

Keeping you informed

You can find out more about our plans and speak to our construction and project teams at drop-in events that we are looking to hold over the coming months. Details of dates and locations will be shown on this webpage at a later point.

To make sure you know what’s coming up, sign up to our regular project updates by using the link on the right-hand side of this page.
10 January 2023

Development Consent Order decision postponed

The deadline for the decision on the Development Consent Order for our A47 Wansford to Sutton dualling scheme has been extended to Friday 17 February 2023. You can read the full statement here.

We remain confident in our proposals to improve the junction by dualling 1.6 miles of the existing single-lane section of the A47 between Wansford and Sutton, building a new free-flow link road from the A1 southbound to A47 eastbound, improving the roundabouts, and providing an enhanced route for walking, cycling and horse riding.

Our project will improve road safety for all road users, make journey times shorter and more reliable, and increase road capacity to support the area’s economic growth. It’ll also help cope better with incidents such as breakdowns, collisions, and extreme weather.

You can sign up to our regular scheme updates here, by using the link on the righthand side of this page.
31 October 2022
Upcoming work on the A47 at Wansford

We’ll be excavating trial holes next to the A47 between Sutton and Wansford. The investigations will give engineers a clearer picture of the type of soils, rock and groundwater in the area. This will provide us with a better understanding of the land conditions, to help develop the scheme.

To allow us to carry out this work, temporary 4-way traffic lights will be in place from the Sutton roundabout to Wansford at the following times:
- Monday 31 October, overnight between 8pm and 6am
We'll also be closing the exit slip road to join the northbound A1 at the following time:
- Saturday 5 November, overnight between 9pm and 6am
Thank you for your patience and understanding while we carry out this work.
15 July 2022

Temporary roadworks planned to the A47 bridge near Sutton Heath junction

We’re continuing with surveys around the A47 bridge near Sutton Heath junction in Wansford to better understand the land conditions, to help develop the scheme.

Work will take place overnight from Monday 1 August until Saturday 6 August 2022 between the hours of 8pm to 6am, with three-way temporary traffic lights in place.

This will be followed by further overnight work from Monday 8 August until Saturday 20 August 2022 between the hours of 8pm to 6am, with two-way traffic lights in place east and westbound between Wansford and Sutton.

We apologise for the change in schedule to this work. This is due to resource issues which needed to be resolved before we could safely carry out the work.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.
12 July 2022

Examination is now closed

The Development Consent Order (DCO) examination for the A47 Wansford to Sutton dualling scheme closed on 11 July 2022.

The Planning inspectorate will now prepare a report, including a recommendation, within three months of the close of examination and send this to the relevant Secretary of State.

The Secretary of State then has a further three months to make the decision on whether to grant or refuse the DCO.

For more information on the DCO process, our application or to sign up for updates please visit our scheme page on the Planning Inspectorate website.
15 June 2022
Addendum to the Environmental Statement

We have recently carried out a review of the potential effects of the scheme on the environment during construction and have decided to extend the assessment period of the Environmental Statement to 28 months.

We have notified the Planning Inspectorate and have produced an ‘Addendum to the Environmental Statement’, which can be found here. While the reviews shows that there’ll be no significant environmental consequences, should you wish to have your say on the minor change, please send your comments by 27 June 2022 via;
- Email: A47WansfordtoSuttonRIS@nationalhighways.co.uk
- Post: A47 WANSFORD TO SUTTON, National Highways, Woodlands, Manton Lane, Bedford MK41 7LW
You can view other documents for our A47 Wansford to Sutton Development Consent Order application on the PINS website.
30 May 2022
Have your say – minor changes to the scheme

We have carried out a detailed review of construction phasing requirements for the scheme, and notified the Planning Inspectorate we intend to make some minor changes to the scheme before the end of the Examination (July 2022).

The changes include:
- A minor realignment of the new link road from the A47 Wansford eastern roundabout to the new A47 westbound off slip to the north.
- Modification of access to Sacrewell Farm.
- Shortening of the cycle route at the eastern extent of scheme and provision of new footpaths.
Please send any comments on the proposed changes by 13 June 2022:
- By email: A47WansfordtoSuttonRIS@highwaysengland.co.uk
- By post: A47 WANSFORD TO SUTTON, Highways England, Woodlands, Manton Lane, Bedford MK41 7LW
For more information on the DCO process, our application or to sign up for updates please visit the scheme page on the Planning Inspectorate website.
25 April 2022

Survey work complete

Our ground investigation surveys which started in March are now complete.

The bore hole surveys which took place on several parcels of land to understand the ground conditions will inform our designs as we move to the next stage of the improvement scheme.

Thank you for your patience and understanding while we carried out this vital work.
02 February 2022

Survey work taking place

We’re carrying out some survey work in the area over the next seven weeks. Although the work is being carried out off the road, you may see our operatives at work in the neighbouring fields.

These surveys, which will help us to better understand the ground conditions and inform our designs as we move to the next stage of this A47 improvement, are not the start of construction.
22 October 2021

Planning Inspectorate acceptance of scheme submission

Planning Inspectorate acceptance of scheme submission

Our Development Consent Order Application was submitted to the Planning Inspectorate in July 2021 and was accepted in August 2021, allowing us to progress through to examination.

The Section 56 Notice notified the public that the A47 Wansford to Sutton Development Consent Order application has been accepted for examination. View the Section 56 Notice.

The next steps in the process can be found on the Planning Inspectorate's website.

More information is available on the A47 Wansford to Sutton Planning Inspectorate’s web page.
02 August 2021

DCO planning application has been submitted

On 5 July 2021, we submitted our application for development consent. On 2 August, the Planning Inspectorate accepted the application for examination.

The application includes a consultation report which features a summary of responses and describes which suggestions we were able to incorporate and demonstrates how we have listened to feedback.

Our application for development consent is available for the public to view on the Planning Inspectorate’s website. The next step will be the relevant representation period, which is when the public can register to make comments.

Please watch our video for more information on the Development Consent process.
03 December 2020

Thanks for your feedback

Following our recent project update, we would like to thank all those who have given feedback. Your comments are all being reviewed and will help inform any refinements to our proposals. We continue to engage with local authorities and parish councils.
15 October 2020

We’ve updated our scheme design proposals

In 2018 we held a statutory consultation. We received over 680 replies. We have analysed all the responses and engaged with key stakeholders. As a result of that feedback, we are proposing changes to the design. Our new proposal includes an alternative northern route at the eastern end between Sutton Heath Road and the A47/Nene junction. Details can be found in our project update brochure.

Our proposal is for a 1.6-mile new stretch of dual carriageway which largely follows the existing A47 at the Wansford end, crossing to the north and running parallel to the existing A47. There will be a dedicated slip road from the A1 southbound to the A47 eastbound to alleviate congestion at the junction. The existing single carriageway for westbound traffic across the A1 bridge at Wansford will be kept the same. We’re also proposing improvements to the roundabouts at Wansford.

We have compared our latest proposed design against the 2018 design and have considered environmental and economic factors, as well as the complexity of the scheme construction, and traffic levels. You can read about the comparisons in the scheme Design Development Report.

We will be continuing to undertake survey works in the area as we head towards finalising our planning application.

View the scheme design diagram.
20 May 2020

Surveys taking place from May 2020

We are undertaking important surveys and archaeological trial trenching from May 2020. You can expect to see survey vehicles and equipment in operation, but please note that this is not the start of any construction work.

The investigations will help us understand the significance of the archaeological resource and inform how we can avoid and/or minimise any harm through design and mitigation. The surveys are critical in ensuring we limit our impact on the historic environment by fully recording all archaeological sites appropriately. The results of assessments will be reported in our Environmental Statement and are a normal part of the development consent process.

A good, early understanding of the unique relationship between our scheme and the historic environment will help us to avoid any unexpected surprises and unnecessary delays once construction starts. This approach means we can develop a plan to allow mitigation works and development to coincide on site once the project is given the go-ahead.

Public consultation took place between September and October 2018. Thank you to everybody who took part and completed the feedback form. Where appropriate, we’ll use the feedback to make further refinements to the scheme design and development of mitigation measures.

We'll publish a consultation report when we make our application for planning consent (Development Consent Order). This will feature a summary of responses and will describe how our proposals have been informed by and influenced by them.

See more updates

Project information

Our proposal is for a new stretch of dual carriageway which largely follows the existing A47 at the Wansford end, crossing to the north and running parallel to the existing A47 after the Scheduled Monument. There will also be a dedicated slip road from the A1 southbound to the A47 eastbound to alleviate congestion at the junction.

The existing single carriageway for westbound traffic across the A1 bridge at Wansford will be kept the same. There will be a new southern arm coming from the eastern Wansford roundabout for the filling station and access to Sacrewell Farm.

The Nene roundabout will be relocated further to the west, close to the current Sutton Heath Road junction.

The village of Upton will now access the A47 via Sutton Heath Road, joining at the new roundabout. The existing A47 will be kept for local access to Sutton village.

The revised proposals that we intend to submit for planning approval include alterations to the roundabouts at Wansford. Improvements at the Western Wansford roundabout will include an improved entry from the A1 northbound slip road, an improved exit to the A47 eastbound, a new left turn lane between A1 northbound slip road and the A47 eastbound, rather than a merged lane and a new cycle crossing on the A47 west of the Wansford roundabouts, removing cycles from the A1 bridge.

Improvements at the Eastern Wansford roundabout will include an enlarged roundabout and a new lane to the south of the roundabout, providing access to the filling station and to Sacrewell Farm under the new A47.

The latest proposed design also includes the removal of the bus stop and the direct road access to the A1 from the properties adjacent to Windgate Way due to the close proximity to the proposed southbound A1-A47 slip road; the Sutton Drift will be closed to vehicles; a new walking and cycling route will pass under the A47 at the existing Sutton Heath junction and a straight link road will be formed from the relocated A47 Sutton roundabout, linking into the existing Sutton Heath Road at its junction with Langley Bush Road.

Upton Road will no longer be directly accessed from the A47. New passing places will be discussed with the local authority.

This project aims to:

improve road safety for all road users, including a safer route between local communities for cyclists, pedestrians, equestrians and other non-motorised users
contribute to sustainable economic growth by supporting opportunities for employment and residential developments
reduce congestion delays, making journey times more reliable and increasing the overall road capacity of the A47

A47 Wansford to Sutton Dualling - Statutory Consultation - 18 September 2018 to 12 November 2018

A47 Wansford to Sutton dualling - 13 March 2017 to 21 April 2017

Development Consent Order – Requirements Register

Requirements are conditions that have been included in the DCO, which control how the project must be implemented (constructed and maintained). Implementing the DCO in accordance with these conditions involves completing consultation and approval processes that have been defined in the DCO. These processes are referred to here and in the DCO as “discharging” the requirements.

This Requirements Register is a live document and will be updated as the process to discharge the requirements progresses.

The latest version will always be published below:

This register will be maintained for three years following completion of the project. The register sets out:

each requirement
whether the requirement needs approval by the Secretary of State (or other duty holder)
whether any approval has been applied for or given.