A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon "news"

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B1040
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Re: A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon "news"

Post by B1040 »

I would normally interpret "ramp" as an inclined slip road.
This roundabout is built above a groundlevel A14 so all approaches are uphill.
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Re: A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon "news"

Post by kiran_mk2 »

This problem is affecting the Bar Hill junction, the bridge over the LAR just north of the Bar Hill junction and the bridge over the A14 at Lolworth, but seemingly not the bridges at Dry Drayton and the Swavesey Junction (all of which I drive over a few times per month).
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Re: A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon "news"

Post by Keiji »

I finally got a chance to use the new A14 yesterday - it wasn't at all required but we were heading back to Torquay from Fakenham, Norfolk so I managed to work westbound A14 into the route for road-geekery purposes without too much of a detour (complete with a U-turn at the A1 Brampton roundabout to get to A1 south :D ).

I have to say I'm impressed! The signage made it very easy to navigate, even with very little preparation and an out-of-date satnav. We decided to stop at Cambridge Services, where we had a lovely pick-your-own full English breakfast :) and it seems to be laid out very well inside, with all the brands visible from the central area - some other services seem labyrinthine in comparison ("how many more weird corners before we can see where the Costa is?"). I particularly like this sign, which is very well placed to prevent you turning off early (or worrying about missing the turning) when you're trying to get into them!

It definitely should have been a motorway, even one without hard shoulders - the sign showing restrictions when approaching Girton is absolutely pitiful ("let's put the restrictions that apply to A14 not next to the A14 lanes but between the M11 and A428 lanes!!") - but that's politics for you.
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AAndy
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Re: A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon "news"

Post by AAndy »

I took a video Eastbound this week (following from the westbound video a couple of months ago); https://youtu.be/nPX5ZolC99k .

the 2020 completed section starts 3 minutes in, so a comparison with the un-upgraded can be seen.

The A14/M6/M5/M54/M42/M5/M50 IS now the M62 of the midlands...East Anglia to Wales. It rocks
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Re: A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon "news"

Post by DB124 »

AAndy wrote: Sat Jul 02, 2022 07:59 I took a video Eastbound this week (following from the westbound video a couple of months ago); https://youtu.be/nPX5ZolC99k .
Why is there what looks like a third lane hashed out between the A141 and A1 junctions? This is ~3:15 to ~4:55 in the video.

The tarmac doesn't continue over the A1 bridge so I don't think it's future-proofing. It's got a solid line so it isn't for people to enter, and it's on the right-hand side so it's not a hard shoulder in disguise. Its width also seems to vary (compare 3:35 to 4:50).

I've seen similar hashed out tarmac on the general layout plans for the A421-A428 link too, on the inside of a corner. This also seems fairly redundant, as surely a widened gap between the carriageways would be to allow vehicles to understeer without hitting the central barrier. In that case the extra space would be on the outside of the curve. And yet this is the opposite of what gets built (see https://maps.app.goo.gl/D1QJRnAyx6a6aqse9, not surfaced but same idea).

And despite this, it must have some benefit or HE wouldn't keep buying the extra land and extra concrete. Surely it would be cheaper and easier to just have both carriageways with no redundant paved space in between.

Could someone please enlighten me? :confused:
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Re: A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon "news"

Post by c2R »

DB124 wrote: Sun Jul 03, 2022 01:24 Could someone please enlighten me? :confused:
It allows for greater forward visibility around the curve which otherwise would be obscured by the concrete barrier, therefore allowing a higher speed limit on the section than otherwise would be in place.
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Re: A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon "news"

Post by A303Chris »

c2R wrote: Sun Jul 03, 2022 09:03
DB124 wrote: Sun Jul 03, 2022 01:24 Could someone please enlighten me? :confused:
It allows for greater forward visibility around the curve which otherwise would be obscured by the concrete barrier, therefore allowing a higher speed limit on the section than otherwise would be in place.
More over design requirements of the DMRB.
The M25 - The road to nowhere
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Re: A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon "news"

Post by MotorwayGuy »

It does seem excessive but has been a common design for NSL carriageways since the 90s, such as here. I think the fact it is pristine and has the hatch markings on it make it stand out a lot more, as usually it's a concrete surface or unmaintained asphalt. There are still lots of NSL dual carriageways that have no sight-line allowances but I'm not aware of any that have a concrete barrier.
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Re: A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon "news"

Post by Bryn666 »

A303Chris wrote: Mon Jul 04, 2022 13:54
c2R wrote: Sun Jul 03, 2022 09:03
DB124 wrote: Sun Jul 03, 2022 01:24 Could someone please enlighten me? :confused:
It allows for greater forward visibility around the curve which otherwise would be obscured by the concrete barrier, therefore allowing a higher speed limit on the section than otherwise would be in place.
More over design requirements of the DMRB.
Having decent FSSD is one of the few things the DMRB gets right. Where it's done wrong is when the space is not obviously shown to be central reservation like this nonsense here: https://goo.gl/maps/mVSbhewrNpVZDt3c6

When you lack the FSSD, like this one where you wouldn't want to exceed the 50 despite several people in the past bemoaning this one, it really shows: https://goo.gl/maps/fPYehe8fqUXaC9hVA
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Re: A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon "news"

Post by MotorwayGuy »

Bryn666 wrote: Mon Jul 04, 2022 15:21
A303Chris wrote: Mon Jul 04, 2022 13:54
c2R wrote: Sun Jul 03, 2022 09:03

It allows for greater forward visibility around the curve which otherwise would be obscured by the concrete barrier, therefore allowing a higher speed limit on the section than otherwise would be in place.
More over design requirements of the DMRB.
Having decent FSSD is one of the few things the DMRB gets right. Where it's done wrong is when the space is not obviously shown to be central reservation like this nonsense here: https://goo.gl/maps/mVSbhewrNpVZDt3c6

When you lack the FSSD, like this one where you wouldn't want to exceed the 50 despite several people in the past bemoaning this one, it really shows: https://goo.gl/maps/fPYehe8fqUXaC9hVA
Yikes, it looks like they originally intended for there to be 2 lanes there originally but decided to cram another in. The M25 at Chevening has a similar dodgy curve, this was never intended to be the mainline but a few years ago a 50mph limit was put on it which is routinely ignored.
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Re: A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon "news"

Post by Bryn666 »

MotorwayGuy wrote: Mon Jul 04, 2022 18:36
Bryn666 wrote: Mon Jul 04, 2022 15:21
A303Chris wrote: Mon Jul 04, 2022 13:54

More over design requirements of the DMRB.
Having decent FSSD is one of the few things the DMRB gets right. Where it's done wrong is when the space is not obviously shown to be central reservation like this nonsense here: https://goo.gl/maps/mVSbhewrNpVZDt3c6

When you lack the FSSD, like this one where you wouldn't want to exceed the 50 despite several people in the past bemoaning this one, it really shows: https://goo.gl/maps/fPYehe8fqUXaC9hVA
Yikes, it looks like they originally intended for there to be 2 lanes there originally but decided to cram another in. The M25 at Chevening has a similar dodgy curve, this was never intended to be the mainline but a few years ago a 50mph limit was put on it which is routinely ignored.
Correct, it opened in 1989 as a two lane slip road and was widened to 3 as part of the M60 completion.
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Re: A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon "news"

Post by tom66 »

Is FSSD the same reason these slips were striped off even though there's clearly space for two lanes plus HS?
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.49385 ... 384!8i8192

If you look at historical satellite imagery it looks like they got this treatment (de-laning?) around 2003-2005 though half had been done a while before that.
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Re: A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon "news"

Post by Bryn666 »

tom66 wrote: Mon Jul 04, 2022 23:51 Is FSSD the same reason these slips were striped off even though there's clearly space for two lanes plus HS?
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.49385 ... 384!8i8192

If you look at historical satellite imagery it looks like they got this treatment (de-laning?) around 2003-2005 though half had been done a while before that.
That's a mix of HA/HE/NH not knowing how to manage free flow interchanges and a need to ensure the dominant flows get more lanes through the stack. The visibility is just about right there I think.
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Re: A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon "news"

Post by roadphotos »

I did my first trip to see the new A14 recently and also had a look at the road changes in Huntingdon that were completed recently. It was an interesting drive past the railway station now that the viaduct that used to carry the A14 has gone. Interesting that the Bar Hill exit on the new A14 is now Junction 25 but the next junction with the M11 at Girton is still 31. Some road atlases had shown it as 26 with the jump in the junction numbers further east between the A10 and B1047, also is the 2 mile section of the A1307 (former A14) between the A1(M) and B1043 (east of Alconbury) and the A141 (near Huntingdon) a Primary Route or not?. All of the 2023 road atlases show it as Non Primary (coloured red) and all other maps show the same but all of the new signs on this section of the A1307 are green, this includes the new signs at the junctions at either end of this 2 mile section but I can't find any maps that show it as Primary. All of the other sections of the A1307 (former A14) around Huntingdon have white Non Primary signs. I thought you'd like to see these 2 pictures, the first one shows the view (looking east) from Silver Street near Godmanchester in 2022 after the A14 has been completed. The second picture shows the same view 6 years earlier in 2016.
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A14 (completed)
A14 (completed)
A field (future A14)
A field (future A14)
B1040
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Re: A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon "news"

Post by B1040 »

I drove along the ex A14 bit of A1307 last week and the signs are being replaced with white ones.
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Re: A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon "news"

Post by Bryn666 »

B1040 wrote: Fri Jul 08, 2022 12:02 I drove along the ex A14 bit of A1307 last week and the signs are being replaced with white ones.
Better late than never!
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Re: A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon "news"

Post by roadphotos »

I drove along the A1307 (former A14) last week and all of the new signs on the section between the B1043 (near Alconbury) and the A141 (near Huntingdon) are green. This includes the ones on the B1043 and A141 as well as the A1307, unfortunately most of the new signs aren't yet available to view on Google Maps, also I've noticed that the SABRE Wiki also says that this 2 mile section of the A1307 is a Primary Route.
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SouthWest Philip
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Re: A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon "news"

Post by SouthWest Philip »

roadphotos wrote: Fri Jul 08, 2022 15:30 I drove along the A1307 (former A14) last week and all of the new signs on the section between the B1043 (near Alconbury) and the A141 (near Huntingdon) are green. This includes the ones on the B1043 and A141 as well as the A1307, unfortunately most of the new signs aren't yet available to view on Google Maps, also I've noticed that the SABRE Wiki also says that this 2 mile section of the A1307 is a Primary Route.
According to the network map on the Highways England/National Highways website, this section has also remained trunk along with the A141 west to Brampton Hut.
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Re: A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon "news"

Post by KeithW »

Indeed, as I understand the non primary section is the A1307 from the A141 to Huntingdon and Cambridge. The A1307 to Alconbury is still primary as is the A141 between Brampton and the A47 at Guyhirn.
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Re: A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon "news"

Post by roadphotos »

All of the evidence seems to point to this 2 mile section of the A1307 (former A14) being a Primary Route, the only thing I can't understand is why none of the 2023 road atlases or OS maps show it as such, they all show it in red (Non Primary).
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