Reacting to the news, John Bridge OBE, Chief Executive of Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce, said: “This is not the first time that improvements to this junction have been withdrawn – the same thing happened after the main scheme was given the go ahead in 2003. However the circumstances this time around are very different. Adequate infrastructure that can deal with increasing volumes of traffic is now recognised as an essential contributor to continued economic growth along our corridor. This would have provided an essential solution.
“The Highways Agency has given the start date for the main Cambridge to Huntingdon scheme as being the reason for the withdrawal, but that excuse won’t hold any water with businesses and commuters that are adversely affected by its inadequacies on a daily basis. It is ludicrous to suggest that short-term improvements to the junction are unnecessary when the full A14 improvement scheme may or may not be fully functional by 2020 – especially when you consider that it is already behind schedule and a preferred route is still to be announced. It would appear that the Highways Agency’s understanding of ‘short-term’ and the current daily challenges are very different to that understood by businesses and all users of the road.” __________________________________________
“The Highways Agency has given the start date for the main Cambridge to Huntingdon scheme as being the reason for the withdrawal, but that excuse won’t hold any water with businesses and commuters that are adversely affected by its inadequacies on a daily basis. It is ludicrous to suggest that short-term improvements to the junction are unnecessary when the full A14 improvement scheme may or may not be fully functional by 2020 – especially when you consider that it is already behind schedule and a preferred route is still to be announced. It would appear that the Highways Agency’s understanding of ‘short-term’ and the current daily challenges are very different to that understood by businesses and all users of the road.” __________________________________________