The A14 is a major trunk road in England, running from the Catthorpe Interchange, a major intersection at the southern end of the M6 and junction 19 of the M1 in Leicestershire, to the port of Felixstowe, Suffolk. The road forms part of the unsigned Euroroutes E24 and E30. It is the busiest shipping lane in East Anglia carrying large amounts of cargo between the UK and mainland Europe.
Route Beginning at the Catthorpe Interchange, the A14 runs through Kettering, Northamptonshire, towards Huntingdon where it now runs parallel to the A1 past Brampton, Cambridgeshire and now bypasses Huntingdon completely due to the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon Scheme from 2017 until 2022. It continues past Bar Hill towards Cambridge to meet the end of the M11 and the A428 at the Girton Interchange. The A14 continues easterly over northern Cambridge towards Newmarket where it briefly joins with the A11 to form the Newmarket Bypass between J36 and J38. The A11 splits off again towards the North and the A14 continues through Bury St Edmunds, past Stowmarket then on to bypass Ipswich via the Orwell Bridge and finally comes to an end at the Port of Felixstowe fully connecting the Midlands to East Anglia.
The road is a dual carriageway, mostly with two lanes each way, but there are some dual three-lane sections: on the Newmarket bypass (between Junctions 36 and 38) where it runs concurrent with the A11, at Kettering (between Junctions 7 and 9) and as of December 2019, with the opening of the Cambridge to Huntington improvement scheme, dual three-lanes between Milton and the A1 Junction at Brampton (Junctions 22 to 33). There is also a short dual four-lane section of the A14 that runs between Bar Hill and the Girton Interchange. There are three at-grade junctions: with the B663 at Bythorn in Cambridgeshire (junction 15); at the Leighton Bromswold turn a few miles to the east (junction 17); and at the Dockspur Roundabout at the edge of Felixstowe (junction 60).
There were two additional at-grade roundabouts along the former A14 main route, these being Brampton Hut Interchange (Junction 21) and Spittals Interchange (former Junction 23). However, these junctions are no longer part of the A14 since the opening of the new alignment south of Huntingdon in December 2019.
The old A14 from Huntingdon Spittals interchange to Godmanchester was closed both ways for a 2-year period, and has now reopened in 2022 as part of the A1307, after the Huntingdon railway viaduct has been dismantled. Link roads at Hinchingbrooke and Mill Common will connect the former A14 dual carriageway to the road network in Huntingdon.
History The current A14 includes parts of the former A45 between Felixstowe and Cambridge, the A604 between Cambridge and Kettering, a short stretch of the former A6 west of Kettering, plus a new link road which was constructed in the early 1990s between there and the M1/M6 interchange at Catthorpe, Leicestershire. The original A14 was known as the Royston - Alconbury Trunk Road, the original A604 was known as the Barton Seagrave - Harwich Trunk Road, and the original A45 was known as the Ipswich - Weedon Trunk Road.
Prior to the current A14, the main route from Birmingham to the Haven ports followed the M6, M1, A428 and A45 via Coventry, Rugby, Northampton, Bedford, St Neots and Cambridge, and then went through all the towns on the A14 to Felixstowe. Prior to its use for the current route, the A14 designation had been used for a section of road between the A10 at Royston and the A1 at Alconbury, following part of the route of Ermine Street which is now designated the A1198 to Godmanchester and the A1307 to Alconbury. The section through Huntingdon is now part of the A1307 following the opening of the Huntingdon by-pass; Highways England demolished a viaduct carrying the road over the River Great Ouse and the Great Northern railway and built new junctions with local roads.
The M45 motorway was constructed in 1959 parallel to part of the old A45 in the Midlands. It opened on the same day as the M1 motorway and was soon one of the busiest sections of the motorway. The M6 opened in the late 1960s and early 1970s, after which more traffic to the ports used the route from junction 1 of the M6 via the A427 to Market Harborough, followed by a short section of the A6 to Kettering and then the A604 to Cambridge, before joining the old A45 to the ports as above.The Hamlin Road Atlas of Great Britain – 1976 The M45 now carries little traffic.
The sections from Huntingdon east to the ports were upgraded first, starting with the Huntingdon bypass in 1973, followed by the Girton to Bar Hill section in 1975/76 and the Cambridge northern bypass and Cambridge/Newmarket section in 1976/77. The Bar Hill-to-Huntingdon section opened in 1979, prior to the M11 which was fully opened in 1980. The Ipswich southern bypass, including the Orwell Bridge, opened between 1982 and 1985.
The A604 between Kettering and Huntingdon was upgraded and the section from Catthorpe to Kettering was constructed between 1989 and 1991 (commonly referred to at the time as the "M1-A1 link road") following a lengthy period of consultation. The first inquiry was in 1974 and then a series of inquiries for sections of the preferred route from September 1984 until June 1985, during which objections came from some 1,130 sources. Subsequent public inquiries were held regarding Supplementary Orders. The route close to the site of the Battle of Naseby was particularly difficult, and was taken to the High Court. The link was opened by Transport Secretary John MacGregor on 15 July 1994.
Work to create a compact grade-separated junction (Junction 45/Rougham) and to re-align a stretch of carriageway was completed in 2006.
Vehicles over 7.5 tonnes travelling east were banned from using the outside lane on a dual two-lane section on a steep climb to Welford summit close to Junction 1 (A5199) from spring 2007; a similar scheme covered of the westbound carriageway from Junction 2, including a particularly steep climb to Naseby summit. The bans are active between 6am and 8pm, and are intended to reduce delays to other traffic from lorries attempting to pass on these climbs.
Between 2007 and 2008 a new section of a two-lane dual carriageway was constructed at the Haughley Bends, one of Suffolk's most notorious accident blackspots, to rationalise access using a new grade-separated junction. The road opened in the summer of 2008 with some associated local works being completed early in 2009.
Variable Message Signs (VMS), traffic queue detection loops and closed circuit TV (CCTV) were installed at a cost of £50million during 2009 to 2010 Both carriageways between Junction 52 (Claydon) and Junction 55 (Copdock) were refurbished during 2010 at a cost of £9 million. Work was being carried out a year earlier than scheduled as part of a UK government's fiscal stimulus package.
The Cambridgeshire Guided Busway connecting Cambridge, Huntingdon and St Ives, which opened in 2011, was intended to remove 5.6% of traffic using that section of the A14 (rising to 11.1% with the new Park & Ride sites), although as other traffic re-routes to the freed-up road space from other parts of the local road network, the net reduction is predicted to be 2.3%.
The Felixstowe and Nuneaton freight capacity scheme, designed to take more lorry traffic off the A14 between the Port and the Midlands by increasing rail capacity and allowing the carriage of larger 'Hi-cube' shipping containers by widening to the W10 loading gauge, opened in 2011.
Junction 55 (Copdock interchange) to the south of Ipswich was equipped with signalisation in 2011, along with lengthening the off-slip from the A1214. The section around Kettering between Junctions 7 and 9 was widened to three lanes between November 2013 and April 2015 at a cost of £42million.
After initially being shelved in 2010, the Catthorpe Interchange at the road's Western terminus underwent a massive restructuring in 2014."M1 Junction 19 Improvement Scheme ", Highways Agency, accessed 2014-01-01 The redesigned junction was intended to allow free-flowing traffic movement between the A14, the southern terminus of the M6 motorway and Junction 19 of the M1 motorway. The first part opened in September 2016, and the upgrade was completed three months later.
Construction The contract for the 6.5 miles Huntingdon - Godmanchester bypass, from the A1 to Godmanchester, contract was given to A. Monk Ltd, of Padgate, on Tuesday 22 May 1973, for £6m.Cambridge Daily News Tuesday 22 May 1973, page 12 Construction began on Monday 4 June 1973, to finish in the summer of 1975. It was controversial.Cambridge Daily News Monday 4 June 1973, page 7 The local Conservative MP David Renton had played a large part in choosing the route, which not everyone had liked. The dual-carriageway bypass, from The Stukeleys to Godmanchester, opened as the A604 on Tuesday 30 September 1975.Saffron Walden Weekly News Thursday 2 October 1975, page 13 For many years this was the A14.
The Godmanchester to Bar Hill section was built by Sir Alfred McAlpine (Southern), opening in April 1981 as the A604.Cambridge Daily News Thursday 16 April 1981, page 20Cambridge Daily News Friday 22 May 1981, page 30 The Bar Hill to Swavesey section had opened first, in early December 1980.Cambridge Daily News Wednesday 29 October 1980, page 5 This section had originally been a three-lane single-carriageway road.
The original Fenstanton bypass had opened in early February 1965, as a single carriageway, built by Cementation Company.Peterborough Evening Telegraph Thursday 28 January 1965, page 6
The contract for the £350,000 intersection at Bar Hill, was awarded in February 1975 to Roadworks (1952) Ltd, of Ipswich.Cambridge Daily News Saturday 22 February 1975, page 7
The contract for the Girton to Bar Hill section was awarded on Monday 16 February 1976 to Roadworks (1952) Ltd, of Ipswich.Cambridge Daily News Monday 16 February 1976, Construction started in March 1976.Cambridge Daily News Monday 16 February 1976, page 5 The section opened in December 1977.Cambridge Daily News Thursday 29 December 1977, page 11
The 9.6-mile A45 Cambridge Northern bypass was accepted by the city council on Thursday 24 June 1971.Cambridge Daily News Friday 25 June 1971, page 21 The inquiry took place on Tuesday 15 February 1972 at the Guildhall, at the same time as the M11 bypass inquiry.Cambridge Daily News Wednesday 16 February 1972, page 1 The inquiry was proceeding in July, and was to take six weeks, but it took six months. The bypass was to be built by late 1975. By May 1974, the bypass was to start in late 1975, and to finish by mid 1977; it would cost £10m in December 1974. By September 1975, it was to cost £22m, and to start by January 1976. The A604 Girton to Bar Hill section was to start at the same time.Cambridge Daily News Thursday 25 September 1975, page 9 In January 1976, the bypass was to start in April 1976.Cambridge Daily News Saturday 24 January 1976, page 1 In March 1976, the bypass was to start in June 1976, with a tender accepted by May 1976, to take 18 months.Cambridge Daily News Wednesday 31 March 1976, page 4 In May 1976, the bypass would now open at the end of 1978. At the end of June 1976 a £16m contract was given to Bovis Civil Engineering, for the Madingley to Stow cum Quy section.Cambridge Daily News Tuesday 29 June 1976, page 11 The start of construction ceremony was held at Madingley on Friday 23 July 1976.Cambridge Daily News Wednesday 21 July 1976, page 12 The M11 bypass was to start in mid 1977, to be opened by February 1980. At 12pm on Thursday 21 December 1978 the Cambridge northern bypass was opened at Madingley by John Horam; it had taken took 28 months, but the Girton and Madingley interchanges were unfinished, and traffic was allowed late in the evening. The police were not happy with traffic on such an unfinished road.Cambridge Daily News Friday 22 December 1978, page 8