King's Dyke bridge opens after 50-year bid to replace level crossing

The new bridge at King's Dyke replaces a barriered level crossing and it aims to ease traffic flow in the Fens

A £32m bridge built to overcome delays caused by a level crossing is finally open to traffic - after a 50-year wait.

The King's Dyke bridge - connecting Peterborough and Whittlesey over the Peterborough-Ely railway line - was first mooted in the 1970s.

But spiralling costs, a revised scheme and a change of contractor meant work did not start until July 2020.

The Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Nik Johnson, described the opening as "a triumph".

Alex Beckett, chairman of Cambridgeshire County Council's Highways and Transport Committee, said: "I'm delighted to hear that from today we can say goodbye to delays at the level crossing."

A ceremony took place on Monday morning to mark the opening of the bridge

The bridge connects Peterborough and Whittlesey over the Peterborough-Ely railway line

The new bridge has been named the Ralph Butcher Causeway, in honour of a former Fenland district councillor who campaigned for it to be built back in the 1970s.

It is expected to cut road delays.

When the level crossing was active, its gates were closing up to 200 times a day and motorists had to wait between 12 and 23 minutes.

The cost of the new bridge more than doubled, from £13.5m to £32m

The project has been beset with funding problems and delays.

• New firm to build 'rising costs' bridge bypass

• Level crossing bypass cost rockets to £39m

It was initially expected to cost contractor Keir £13.6m, but more than doubled to £30m by October 2018.

The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority approved a budget increase of £16.4m.

However, Keir's estimated costs rocketed to £39m before the contract was terminated in 2019.

The scheme was taken over by Jones Bros Civil Engineering, pushing the completion date into 2022.