Work on upgrading the A14 is “progressing well” as the £1.5-billion project marks the first anniversary of construction getting under way.

The long-awaited 21-mile scheme between Huntingdon and Cambridge is Britain’s biggest current road project and is running to time with the aim of opening to traffic by the end of 2020.

Aerial pictures taken for The Hunts Post by Geoff Soden show the new road starting to take shape along with some of the key features along the route.

Transport secretary Chris Grayling dug the first spade of earth to mark the start of formal construction on the new road near the Swavesey compound, last November.

Mike Evans, from Highways England, said: “The scheme is progressing well and we are keeping to the project’s challenging timetable, with the improvements on track to open to traffic by the end of 2020.

“The first of the project’s 34 bridges and structures has already been opened to traffic on the A1198 and we have nearly finished on the Grafham Road bridge which will run over the A1 and A14.”

Mr Evans said: “We have made good progress at many sites across the scheme, including at the future Brampton interchange, on the River Great Ouse viaduct, the bridge over the East Coast main line railway, the Swavesey interchange and the Girton interchange, with the Huntingdon southern bypass really beginning to take shape.

“Next year we are planning to start building work at the Bar Hill junction and on the widening of the Cambridge northern bypass between Histon and Milton and also continuing construction of the scheme’s biggest bridges and structures.”

Mr Evans added: “We will also look to open more bridges and even sections of road as and when they are complete.”

Work started on upgrading the heavily-congested A14 six years after plans to improve the key link between the Midlands and the port of Felixstowe were axed by the Government to save money.

More than half of the route is being built off the line of the present A14, including the 12-mile Huntingdon bypass. The project includes widening seven miles of the A14 in each direction and widening a three mile section of the A1.

Once work on the main section is complete there will be a further year of construction on roads in the Huntingdon area, including the demolition of the viaduct over the railway station.