New drone footage gives birds-eye view of major road upgrade one year into construction

One year into construction, National Highways has unveiled new fascinating drone fly-through footage, giving the public a unique bird’s-eye view of the remarkable progress on a major road upgrade scheme in Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire. 

The flagship A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet Improvements will transform journeys between Milton Keynes, Bedford, and Cambridge, enhancing connectivity and significantly reducing journey times across the region. 

The drone footage and photography released today [Thursday, 12 December] showcase the remarkable scale and ambition of the A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet Improvements. One year since the main works began, the imagery offers a captivating glimpse of the transformation already taking shape. 

Over the past 12 months, National Highways has made significant strides on the scheme, including: 

• Moved 4 million tonnes of earth on-site to lay the foundations for the new dual carriageway, link roads, and supporting structures. That’s the equivalent of 4 billion standard bags of baking flour.
• 33 bridge beams smoothly lifted into place on six structures across the scheme. Once fully complete, 18 new bridges will have been built.   
• Poured 18,000 cubic metres of concrete on new bridges, culverts, and piling works across site. That’s enough to fill more than 7 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
• Successfully diverted over 11 miles of broadband, gas, water, and power utilities. If you walked that distance, it would take just under four hours.
• Installed 2.5 miles of new drainage systems. 

Lee Galloway, National Highways Project Director, said: “It’s fantastic to see how much has been accomplished in the first year of construction. The sheer scale and complexity of the scheme is extraordinary, and this footage really helps to bring the significant progress we’ve made to life. It’s a powerful testament to the hard work, expertise, and dedication of everyone involved.” 

The £1 billion scheme is National Highways’ largest infrastructure project currently in construction. It will transform journeys for thousands of drivers, cutting average travel times by up to 10 minutes - slashing up to 1.5 hours over the course of a working week. 

Lee added: “Marking this milestone is not just about celebrating what we’ve achieved - it’s also about looking ahead towards the years to come. The commitment and hard work of all involved in the scheme means we remain on track to open to traffic in spring 2027. We’re also grateful for the patience and support the local community and road users have shown as we bring this scheme to life.” 

Willie McCormick, Skanska UK Project Director – delivery partner on the scheme - said: “The whole project team – Skanska, National Highways and our supply chain – has worked incredibly hard to get us to this point. Their dedication and collaborative approach, working together as one team, has been key to the success of the project to date. Being able to problem solve and adapt to the many challenges faced on a project of this scale, including heavy rains earlier this year, has kept the programme on schedule. A great achievement!” 

The scheme will deliver a new 10-mile dual carriageway linking the A1 and A421 Black Cat roundabout in Bedfordshire with the A428 Caxton Gibbet roundabout in Cambridgeshire – replacing the only stretch of single carriageway between the M1 near Milton Keynes and the east coast ports of Felixstowe and Harwich.  

Both roundabouts will be upgraded to modern, free-flowing junctions, vastly improving traffic flow and reducing congestion. A new junction will be added at Cambridge Road, improving access to St Neots and its train station. 

For the latest updates on the A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet improvements: