Improvements to the A1307 set to start
The announcement that work is due to start this month on safety improvements to the A1307 between Haverhill and Cambridge has been welcomed by community leaders.
The work forms phase one of the Cambridge South East Transport Scheme to improve road safety and walking, cycling and public transport journeys along the A1307 corridor.
The first lane of the eastbound dual-carriageway near Linton will be hatched off and a new left turn will be created to enable vehicles to turn left safely into Dalehead Foods, which will also give greater visibility to vehicles leaving the site.
Work will soon follow on upgrading the traffic signals at Linton Village College to increase capacity, installing additional cycle lockers and storage at Babraham Park and Ride, and creating an eastbound bus lane approaching Linton.
Lucy Frazer, MP for Linton, said: “I have been working with both the local and Combined Authorities to press for much needed safety and capacity improvements to the A1307 and am delighted that work has begun on delivering these.
“With the Ely Bypass opening at the end of October, the last quarter of 2018 has been an important milestone in realising some of the infrastructure enhancements key to making our local roads fit for the future.”
West Suffolk MP Matt Hancock, who chairs the A1307 Strategy Board, said: “It is great news.
“Improvements to the A1307 will come as a relief to the thousands of Haverhill residents who use the road all the time.
“The road is in urgent need of improvements, and we all hope the changes will reduce the rush hour queues and make the road somewhat safer.
“There’s much that must be done to improve Haverhill’s transport links and I’ll keep working to deliver them, but today’s news is good progress.”
John Mayhew, chairman of Suffolk Chamber in Haverhill & District and the chairman of the ONE Haverhill Partnership, said: “Suffolk Chamber in Haverhill & District welcomes news of a programme of improvements to the A1307 linked with a phase two proposal from Mayor James Palmer for a light railway linking Haverhill to Cambridge. However, we will continue to campaign for a new dual-carriageway linking Haverhill to the A11 as part of an integrated transport solution for our town.
“The current A1307 is a death-trap, having already claimed too many lives in recent years. Proposals for a further 25,000 homes along the A1307 corridor over the next 10-15 years necessitates bold investment decisions on transport infrastructure to enable Haverhill to benefit from this economic expansion."
“I welcome the recent news that the A1307 has been included in the draft Major Road Network map published by the Department for Transport and we will continue to press Mayor Palmer for a financial contribution to an Options Appraisal Report to assess the wider economic impact of the A1307, through the A1307 Strategy Board, which is convened by Suffolk Chamber in Haverhill & District.”
The phase one works are a £14m package to improve road safety, bus priority and to upgrade walking and cycling routes along the A1307 by the end of 2020.
A mass rapid transport route from the A11 to the Cambridge Biomedical Campus that could transition into the Cambridge Autonomous Metro is proposed for phase two.
