A new zebra crossing in Buckden will be one of the first schemes to benefit from a community fund set up as part of the £1.5 billion upgrade to the A14.

Preparatory work has already started on the crossing at Church Street, one of five projects put forward through Cambridgeshire County Council’s local highways improvement initiative in which communities can apply for help to improve their roads and streets.

The council has been awarded more than £41,000 from the A14 Community Fund launched by Highways England to help pay for projects in support of communities affected by the A14 upgrade.

A mobile, vehicle-activated sign will also be installed in High Street, Graveley, to monitor traffic speed and a footway near the school entrance at Boxworth End, Swavesey, will be widened as part of the scheme. Two other projects will go ahead in Cambridge.

Councillor Mathew Shuter, county highways and community infrastructure committee chairman, said: “I am thrilled that these schemes can now start thanks to the additional funding from the A14 Community Fund.

“The local highways improvement initiative offers residents the chance to bring forward their own highway improvements within their community and we are pleased that these latest projects have been successful.

“We have been working closely with the A14 project team to deliver additional pedestrian, cycle and equestrian routes around the scheme and these projects are a great example of how we can add value to both of our programmes to the benefit of local communities.”

Gerard Smith, legacy lead for the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon improvement scheme for Highways England, said: “The opportunity to team up with Cambridgeshire County Council has enabled us to draw on their expertise to support five community projects that meet the goals of the A14 Community Fund.

“We’re delighted that this partnership work will help us leave a lasting legacy for local communities in Cambridgeshire alongside Highways England’s A14 upgrade.”

Work started on upgrading 21 miles of the A14 between Huntingdon and Cambridge 18 months ago and includes a 17-mile bypass south of Huntingdon.

The scheme is the UK’s biggest road construction project being run by Highways England and the county council is helping facilitate the work.