If you were to stand at Huntingdon train station now and suggest a viaduct carrying an A road over the top of the railway line, the station, and another bridge, people would look at you as if you had taken leave of your senses.
The viaduct near the railway station wasn’t just an eyesore. It also meant noise and pollution were spread across the town, particularly from all the lorries that use the A14.
However, the completion of the link roads should mean less traffic on the badly congested ring road, and gives easier access to Hinchingbrooke and the train station.
The building works were disruptive, and I really feel for people who live near the sites who have had to put up with the dust and noise, but they were worth waiting for. Removing the viaduct while keeping trains running on the East Coast Main Line was a real feat.
However, there are some things missing from the project that are hopefully unfinished business rather than completely abandoned.
The train station is a huge missed opportunity. The original plans included a public transport hub that would have made it easier for people to make entire journeys without getting in the car.
That’s always good for the environment, but it would be particularly welcome now with petrol prices pushing £2 a litre. Instead of a public transport hub, we have more car parking.
Even worse that not having the public transport hub, we don’t even have a bus shelter or cycle racks. If we're serious about promoting environmentally sustainable and active travel, those need installing, and quickly.
There’s also work that needs doing to sort out a lot of signage, both in the project area itself and around Huntingdon, as well as a lot of rephasing of traffic lights.
With the viaduct gone, air quality should improve and noise pollution should drop. Traffic should flow better, even as the population of our town and surrounding villages grows, and an important piece of national road infrastructure has been improved.
With so much good work done, I do hope that Cambridgeshire County Council, Highways England, and Network Rail can come together to fix the last few bits so that everyone benefits from this fantastic piece of civil engineering.
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