A47 upgrade: £100m Peterborough dual carriageway scheme approved

The A47 in Cambridgeshire is used by more than 34,000 vehicles a day

A £100m project to improve safety on one of the country's most dangerous roads has been approved by the Department of Transport.

National Highways plans to make a 1.6-mile (2.5km) section of the A47 between Wansford and Sutton in Cambridgeshire into a dual carriageway.

The road is used by more than 34,000 vehicles a day.

Work is expected to start in the spring and the redeveloped road should be finished by early-2025.

The scheme, which could cost up to a £100m, is one of six major improvement projects National Highways plans to deliver on the A47 between Peterborough and Great Yarmouth in Norfolk.

National Highways' scheme was approved by the Secretary of State for Transport, Huw Merriman, with the granting of a development consent order (DCO).

This is a way of obtaining permission for a development which is seen as nationally important for the infrastructure of the country.

New routes

This scheme, which could cost up to a £100m, is one of six major improvement projects and almost half a billion pounds of investment National Highways plans to deliver on the 115-mile section of the A47 between Peterborough and Great Yarmouth in Norfolk.

Among the latest plans is to build a link road between the southbound A1 and the eastbound carriageway of the A47 to alleviate congestion.

Improvements will also be made to nearby roundabouts and junctions, as well as new as routes for walkers, cyclists, and horse riders.

Chris Griffin, National Highways programme leader for the A47, said: "Those who regularly travel on this section of the A47 will know what a bottleneck it can be.

"Our plans will relieve that problem, make the road safer, and improve journey times."

The government currently faces legal challenges on three other National Highways projects on the A47 near Norwich.

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