National Highways estimated the upgrade scheme will cut journey times by 10 minutes each trip
The £1 billion A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet upgrade have been deemed as “absolutely needed” by locals however, some people have questioned whether the cost is worth the result. The £1 billion upgrade aims to deliver a new 10-mile dual carriageway, replacing the final stretch of single carriageway on the strategic road network between the M1 at Milton Keynes and the east coast ports of Harwich and Felixstowe.
National Highways is redeveloping the Caxton Gibbet roundabout into a two-level junction. This will link the new A421 dual carriageway with the A428 and A1198. Traffic on the new dual carriageway will move over the junction using a flyover bridge. The scheme is expected to open to traffic from spring 2027.
Charles Gentry, 42, lives in the village of Caxton, near some of the ongoing works. Mr Gentry said that when the construction began, “there were some queues for the roundabout towards Cambridge but it looked worse coming this way from Papworth [Everard].”
He added: “So, I think we’re lucky in the direction that wasn’t too badly impacted. I think it will be a big improvement [once complete], and Caxton roundabout has always been a source of traffic jams.”
He thinks the changes will “make things a lot better”. However, he does feel as though the cost does seem “a lot” but said it is “hard to quantify” whether the result will be worth the cost. He feels that with “a lot of people working from home, maybe there’s less people travelling around still”.
Once complete, the scheme is estimated to cut journeys at peak times by 10-minutes, according to National Highways. Speaking about this, the 42-year-old said it is “probably not” worth the money for the shortened trip at a time “when everyone is struggling to pay bills”. Although, he did emphasise that the project is “making jobs for people that feeds back into the economy”.
A 40-year-old resident from Caxton, who wished to remain anonymous, said that it is not worth it and there are “definitely” better things that money could be spent on.
He added: “I remember when the roadworks weren’t there and it was fine going in and out. It was not as busy as it is now. All this building work has delayed it a lot. The new roundabout going up to Cambourne near Papworth [Everard] is just ridiculous.
“I remember when the roads just used to come up beside McDonald’s [near Cambourne] and just go straight through.” He said it has made it worse and caused more traffic. He said the project is “definitely unnecessary”.
Stacy Messenger, who also lives in Caxton said it will “definitely” improve motorists’ journeys and feels these improvements were “absolutely needed”. She said National Highways and those involved with the works have been “really good at communicating any closures and changes so we have known well in advance when things are happening”, so she feels it hasn’t impacted her.
She said that people are using Caxton as a “rat run to stop queuing”, adding that from St Neots to the A428, “there were real big tailbacks” when the works started. However, she does not notice it as much now.
Speaking about the cost of the entire project, the resident, who has lived in Caxton for nine years, added: “Because so many people have to live further out but are still working in Cambridge, anything that improves the journey and the connectivity is worth it.
“People can’t afford to live in Cambridge so you have to live further away so I think it was needed. In the grand scheme of things, it’s needed. I think 10-minutes is a decent saviour time in a rush hour.”
Trevor Bishop, 68, has also lived in Caxton for nine years. He said: “My opinion is that a dual carriageway is unreservedly, 100 per cent a good idea.”
Mr Bishop said he feels “positive towards any disruption” caused by the works, adding “we can always go the back way through Great Gransden if there is a hold up”.
He feels as though the project is worth the money because prior to the improvements, he said: “There is a relatively short stretch between the Black Cat roundabout and Cambourne which is a single carriageway.
“If you are driving through, on the dual carriageway to the roundabout and then it is single through to St Neots. I think people would get frustrated with that because they were used to driving fast. I will always get stuck behind these sorts of things.”
In terms of saving time, he said it is “probably not” worth it for that result but he is “more interested in the safety factor” so for him, “it is money well spent”.
Paul Salmon, senior project manager for National Highways at Black Cat said: “Our A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet is a vital project, bringing important investment to the area which will improve journeys considerably between Milton Keynes, Bedford, St Neots, Cambridge and beyond.
“Tens of thousands of drivers currently use Black Cat and the surrounding roads every day. Following this work drivers will save up to 10 minutes per journey each – that’s at least 1.5 hours saved per working week. But it is about much more than this. Faster journeys will bring a huge boost to regional growth, easing congestion and making travel more reliable.”

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