Keep road in case

I FEEL more thought must be given to keeping the present A14 as a relief road. A new A14 with no hard shoulder and no exits would result in desperate drivers of cars and goods vehicles seeking rat runs through our surrounding villages when accidents and b

I FEEL more thought must be given to keeping the present A14 as a relief road. A new A14 with no hard shoulder and no exits would result in desperate drivers of cars and goods vehicles seeking rat runs through our surrounding villages when accidents and breakdowns occur.

I would like to have answers to the following questions:

What will be the impact on the environment of slow-moving and stationary vehicles trying to progress through the proposed new road system, as opposed to the fast-moving traffic on the current elevated A14?

The economic case appears to have been ignored. Nor does the study comment on the disadvantages to local traffic, especially to the area north of Huntingdon.

If the viaduct is retained, would it not still be possible to construct the proposed west-of-town-centre road to alleviate traffic on the present ring road?

If the viaduct is retained, would it not still be possible to provide a slip road off the current A14 to the bus station?

Has any evaluation been carried out of the advantages of having a relief road in case of an accident or other hold-up on the proposed new A14, avoiding the current chaos that exists in the villages south of the current A14?

Has a full structural examination been carried out on the existing viaduct? Does it need to be demolished?

Who will meet the cost of demolishing the existing A14 and construction of the proposed new roads?

Councillor BARBARA BODDINGTON, Buckden, Gransden and The Offords division, Cambridgeshire County Council, Abbotsley