Nearly 550 people have signed a petition calling for the opening of a link through a Huntingdon business park to create a second exit from the Hinchingbrooke area.

The move is designed to relieve congestion on Hinchingbrooke Park Road, the only way in and out of the Hinchingbrooke area which includes the police and fire headquarters, Hinchingbrooke Hospital, Hinchingbrooke School and a large housing development.

It would involve opening up a junction between Parkway and Kingfisher Way - which has a barrier and is only available to the emergency services - to take traffic out through Hinchingbrooke Business Park at peak times and on to the A14 near the Spittals roundabout.

District councillor John Morris said residents and workers often faced 15-20 minutes delays trying to get on to Brampton Road.

“It is because of the congestion on Hinchingbrooke park. The situation has deteriorated and will deteriorate further with the new houses being built at Christie Drive,” he said.

Cllr Morris has been working with county councillors Tom Sanderson and Peter Downes who have now met officials from Highways England and the county council to discuss the issue.

He said: “Tom and Peter put the case that the present situation is unsatisfactory and we foresee things getting worse when there are more houses and the roads are reconfigured after the viaduct comes down in 2020-21.

“Clearly the county council and Highways England are anxious not to change the approved plans and they seemed to think that the proposed traffic lights at the Hinchingbrooke junction will ease traffic flow.”

Cllr Morris said the two organisations were looking into the possibility of opening the link road for general use, one-way only and for restricted hours, with the county councillors also arguing for a new extra link road from Parkway on to a de-trunked A14.

A county council spokesman said: “Cambridgeshire County Council is working closely with Highways England in drawing up details for the planned work on this Huntingdonshire section of the A14.

“There are no plans at this time for the county council to adopt the private access road through the industrial estate as there are concerns that access to the A14 close to Spittals interchange and slip road would increase traffic within local residential streets and require significant engineering changes to the junction.

“Highways England has plans to build a new link through to the old A14, which will become the local access road, via Views Common, which will provide more suitable and safer access for anyone using the route.”

The spokesman added: “We will continue to monitor the impact of traffic on residential streets and the question of access through Hinchingbrooke once the Views Common link road is provided.”