PLANS for a £1.5billion upgrade of the A14 between Huntingdon and Cambridge have been published by the Highways Agency.

The proposals for the 22-mile route include a 12-mile bypass south of Huntingdon, which is likely to be a toll road, with junctions at Ellington, Brampton, on the A1198 south of Godmanchester and at Swavesey.

The A14 viaduct over the railway in Huntingdon would be demolished and the existing dual carriageway is due to be joined to town roads.

The Swavesey to Milton section is to be widened, with a new access road built alongside the improved A14 between Fen Drayton and Girton. There will also be a new junction at Bar Hill.

There are also plans to widen the A1 between Brampton and Alconbury to cope with extra traffic from the new bypass.

Work is due to start in late 2016 and could be completed by 2019 or 2020.

A public consultation on the plans starts today (Monday) and runs until Sunday, October 13 and a series of public exhibitions are planned in the Huntingdon and Cambridge area from next week.

People will have a chance to see the HA’s preferred route alongside other options considered previously, including those from the Department for Transport’s A14 study in 2011/12.

The HA wants feedback on its choice of route, new junctions and the other route options, as well as the proposed tolling of the bypass around Huntington and the way the tolling system could work.

Stephen Hammond, Roads Minister, said: “This announcement meets the commitment I made in January to present a more detailed solution for the A14 and a clearer timetable for delivering these crucial improvements.

“We need a long-term resolution, that will tackle the congestion and journey time reliability issues, and subject to the outcome of the consultation, we believe this is it.

“It’s the best option for people living locally, and for the businesses that see it as a gateway to international markets via the ports on the east coast. It will provide better journeys for long-distance and local traffic, putting the right vehicles on the right roads.”

The upgrade will result in less congestion, says the HA, as well as a boost to the economy by unlocking land for housing development.

Chris Taylor, the HA’s major projects (south) divisional director, said: “We have worked hard to pull together the best elements of the options looked at by the Department for Transport as part of the A14 study.

“Subject to the outcome of the consultation, we believe we have come up with the right solution, one that meets the needs of the road user, businesses, and local communities, while being affordable. Many will recognise aspects of the scheme, but there are new elements to the proposal too.

“We very much welcome feedback on the proposed scheme and the other route options we considered, and encourage people to look at the information on our website and to come along to one of the exhibitions we will be holding over the next few weeks.”

Following the consultation, a preferred route is due to be announced late this year. A further consultation will take place in spring 2014 and a Development Consent Order will be made towards the end of next year.