A141 Options Work Scrap Controversial Huntingdon Third River Crossing

Today Members of Huntingdonshire District Council, Cambridgeshire County Council and representative Ward Members on the A141 and St Ives Steering Group were presented with the findings of the emerging results of work completed by Cambridgeshire County Council who have been working on options for the A141 including the controversial proposal for a Huntingdon Third River Crossing.

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority Mayor James Palmer intervened back in January to ask that the Third River Crossing be considered as part of a wider strategic picture for the Huntingdon area ‐ a decision approved by the January Combined Authority Board.  It merged the work with the assessment for the A141 and St Ives study, a decision that allowed for one approach for the area instead of multiple studies.

James Palmer, Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, said:

“A critical part of the assessment work has now been completed and shows that building a Third River Crossing at Huntingdon is no longer appropriate. The cost and growth scenarios no longer add up, but importantly we would also fall foul of our commitment to enhancing and protecting our natural environment. Given the recent major infrastructure works it was vital that we considered a wider picture for the Huntingdon area. This joined up thinking has shown that the Third River Crossing is not a good idea, and that other measures will deliver better results.

“We can now move forward with our work on improving the A141 and deliver a strategic study for St Ives that could deliver real benefits. Plans for making progress with those will be brought to the Combined Authority later in the year.”

The Members were told that the overarching foundations of the assessment of all the options was based on the feasibility, deliverability, and affordability of the options by looking at the strategic transport movements , junction performance, and an environmental desktop study.