A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon "news"

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KeithW
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Re: A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon "news"

Post by KeithW »

angellevski wrote: Wed Mar 23, 2022 10:44 Is there any information about the new road linking Edison Bell Way and the new A1307 near the station in Huntingdon? I beliebe it was supposed to open in Spring 2022

It seems they are surfacing the road and the foot path is open
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Re: A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon "news"

Post by Al__S »

meanwhile the construction quality of the whole project being pretty poor, the Bar Hill interchange roundabout now has such bad subsidence that temporary "RAMP" signs have been deployed
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Re: A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon "news"

Post by darkcape »

Al__S wrote: Thu Mar 24, 2022 19:41 meanwhile the construction quality of the whole project being pretty poor, the Bar Hill interchange roundabout now has such bad subsidence that temporary "RAMP" signs have been deployed
Oh dear. The whole roundabout is built on engineered fill as the previous jct was very flat apart from the old overbridge. The surrounding ground particularly on the east side was rubbish, former fens etc and we had to dig down about 3-4m to get to the good clay. So the subsidence will likely be local & close to the surface, may need some resurfacing but shouldn't be a major issue to fix.
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Re: A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon "news"

Post by Bryn666 »

Al__S wrote: Thu Mar 24, 2022 19:41 meanwhile the construction quality of the whole project being pretty poor, the Bar Hill interchange roundabout now has such bad subsidence that temporary "RAMP" signs have been deployed
https://goo.gl/maps/wUNh7P9WtEksADo88 not showing the RAMP signs obviously but this arrangement of six regulatory signs is so much clearer than just calling it the A14(M) isn't it? :roll: :roll: :roll:
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Re: A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon "news"

Post by c2R »

Bryn666 wrote: Fri Mar 25, 2022 10:16
Al__S wrote: Thu Mar 24, 2022 19:41 meanwhile the construction quality of the whole project being pretty poor, the Bar Hill interchange roundabout now has such bad subsidence that temporary "RAMP" signs have been deployed
https://goo.gl/maps/wUNh7P9WtEksADo88 not showing the RAMP signs obviously but this arrangement of six regulatory signs is so much clearer than just calling it the A14(M) isn't it? :roll: :roll: :roll:
This is equally poor - get in lane mopeds, but don't end up on the A14 or M11!

https://www.google.com/maps/@52.2326655 ... 384!8i8192

You do get a little advance warning here... https://www.google.com/maps/@52.2336128 ... 384!8i8192
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Re: A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon "news"

Post by Al__S »

Bryn666 wrote: Fri Mar 25, 2022 10:16
Al__S wrote: Thu Mar 24, 2022 19:41 meanwhile the construction quality of the whole project being pretty poor, the Bar Hill interchange roundabout now has such bad subsidence that temporary "RAMP" signs have been deployed
https://goo.gl/maps/wUNh7P9WtEksADo88 not showing the RAMP signs obviously but this arrangement of six regulatory signs is so much clearer than just calling it the A14(M) isn't it? :roll: :roll: :roll:
The matching pair (and the other variable speed limit sign) are somewhat distant .

On the Variable Speed Limit signs, if a Variable limit is in force, but then you pass a National Speed Limit, what is the limit?
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Re: A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon "news"

Post by ManomayLR »

If there’s a fixed national speed limit sign after a variable speed limit, normally that will be accompanied with the words “Variable speed limit ENDS”.
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Re: A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon "news"

Post by Al__S »

indeed that would be normal. There should also be, before a Variable Speed Limit display, a sign declaring such to be starting. Indeed, the A14 has those online.

It does not have them at the Bar Hill interchange. What Bar Hill interchange is a mess of signs, both new and legacy. On the off-ramps from the A14, or approach from the north on the B1050, there are commencement signs for 40mph, and through the junction complex there's 40 repeaters.

If you approach from Crafts Way or Saxon Way in Bar Hill, then before reaching the lower roundabout you will pass National Speed Limit signs. If you're coming out of the hotel, you see no speed limit signs.
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Re: A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon "news"

Post by ManomayLR »

The off ramp for the A14 should say “Variable speed limit ENDS” with an embedded 40 sign.
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Re: A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon "news"

Post by kiran_mk2 »

My favourite signing oddity on the A14 is at the eastbound on-slip at Swavesy. There is a VSL display as you exit the roundabout, but then an NSL sign about 20 m further down the slip, thus rendering the VSL display pointless. This can has been captured quite well in the Google StreetView image below

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.27674 ... 384!8i8192

The VSL sign is displaying 40 mph but if you zoom in you can clearly see the NSL sign between the right leg of the VSL sign and the left hand side of the prohibited road users sign.
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Re: A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon "news"

Post by MotorwayGuy »

Another oddity is this sliproad at Brampton which is clearly designed to be public access but at the moment provides no benefit as you can just use the A1 route to get to the same place. The streetview car has been up it twice and on the 2020 one another vehicle is ahead. There are also lots of hatched off areas near this section as if it was intended to have another lane, but there doesn't appear to be enough room under the overpass.
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Re: A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon "news"

Post by Big L »

kiran_mk2 wrote: Thu Mar 31, 2022 12:47 My favourite signing oddity on the A14 is at the eastbound on-slip at Swavesy. There is a VSL display as you exit the roundabout, but then an NSL sign about 20 m further down the slip, thus rendering the VSL display pointless. This can has been captured quite well in the Google StreetView image below

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.27674 ... 384!8i8192

The VSL sign is displaying 40 mph but if you zoom in you can clearly see the NSL sign between the right leg of the VSL sign and the left hand side of the prohibited road users sign.
There's something similar, but the other way around, at the newly-hamburgered M6 J19. sadly the Google car hasn't been up the slip road for a few months but it has been around the roundabout !
MessedUpSignsM6J19.png
The two smaller red arrows away down the slip road are pointing at standard 40 roundels.
The bigger arrow much nearer is pointing at the "End of variable limit" sign featuring a large national speed limit sign.
Oopsy...
Make poetry history.

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Re: A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon "news"

Post by Bryn666 »

Big L wrote: Thu Mar 31, 2022 17:03
kiran_mk2 wrote: Thu Mar 31, 2022 12:47 My favourite signing oddity on the A14 is at the eastbound on-slip at Swavesy. There is a VSL display as you exit the roundabout, but then an NSL sign about 20 m further down the slip, thus rendering the VSL display pointless. This can has been captured quite well in the Google StreetView image below

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.27674 ... 384!8i8192

The VSL sign is displaying 40 mph but if you zoom in you can clearly see the NSL sign between the right leg of the VSL sign and the left hand side of the prohibited road users sign.
There's something similar, but the other way around, at the newly-hamburgered M6 J19. sadly the Google car hasn't been up the slip road for a few months but it has been around the roundabout !
MessedUpSignsM6J19.png
The two smaller red arrows away down the slip road are pointing at standard 40 roundels.
The bigger arrow much nearer is pointing at the "End of variable limit" sign featuring a large national speed limit sign.
Oopsy...
Yep, the failure of scheme designers to check their sites properly. Design by GSV...
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Re: A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon "news"

Post by jnty »

MotorwayGuy wrote: Thu Mar 31, 2022 14:27 There are also lots of hatched off areas near this section as if it was intended to have another lane, but there doesn't appear to be enough room under the overpass.
Is that not just a corner radius thing? I assumed that was the case with this similar situation on approach to the Queensferry Crossing.
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Re: A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon "news"

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jnty wrote: Thu Mar 31, 2022 17:26
MotorwayGuy wrote: Thu Mar 31, 2022 14:27 There are also lots of hatched off areas near this section as if it was intended to have another lane, but there doesn't appear to be enough room under the overpass.
Is that not just a corner radius thing? I assumed that was the case with this similar situation on approach to the Queensferry Crossing.
I did think that, but there's quite a large section further up as well.
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Re: A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon "news"

Post by Paul7755 »

MotorwayGuy wrote: Thu Mar 31, 2022 14:27 Another oddity is this sliproad at Brampton which is clearly designed to be public access but at the moment provides no benefit as you can just use the A1 route to get to the same place.
There’s another in the opposite direction, two more near the B1415 Buckden Road a bit to the south on the A14, and two east facing at the A1198 junction. There may well be others. IIRC they were labelled on the scheme drawings as emergency slip roads for use if there’s a road closure
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Re: A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon "news"

Post by JonB2028 »

jnty wrote: Thu Mar 31, 2022 17:26
MotorwayGuy wrote: Thu Mar 31, 2022 14:27 There are also lots of hatched off areas near this section as if it was intended to have another lane, but there doesn't appear to be enough room under the overpass.
Is that not just a corner radius thing? I assumed that was the case with this similar situation on approach to the Queensferry Crossing.
Yes it is related to the corner radius: the central reserve is widened so as to achieve the requisite stopping sight distance in front of the barrier. Here, as it is just after the diverge to the A1 the full desirable minimum SSD of 295m must be provided in the vicinity of this juncton - from 1.5 x des min SSD (1.5 x 295 = 450m) before the start of the diverge taper until the driver reaches the back of the diverge nose; no relaxations in SSD are allowed in this zone. Here, as the bend is comparatively tight (probably 1020m desirable min radius, possiblly 720m), the amount of widening to get the desirable minmim SSD is quite significant. Having widened the central reserve there are limits on how quickly you can narrow it back down again, 1:55 from memory and also so that it looks smooth.
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Re: A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon "news"

Post by trickstat »

MotorwayGuy wrote: Thu Mar 31, 2022 14:27 Another oddity is this sliproad at Brampton which is clearly designed to be public access but at the moment provides no benefit as you can just use the A1 route to get to the same place. The streetview car has been up it twice and on the 2020 one another vehicle is ahead. There are also lots of hatched off areas near this section as if it was intended to have another lane, but there doesn't appear to be enough room under the overpass.
My first thought was "maybe it's an easier way to access the services from the westbound A14?" No, because you've got to go almost the whole way around the roundabout under the A1. I suppose if someone is desperate for the toilet and an accident has caused the northbound A1 to grind to a halt it could be very handy.
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Re: A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon "news"

Post by JonB2028 »

trickstat wrote: Thu Mar 31, 2022 22:15
MotorwayGuy wrote: Thu Mar 31, 2022 14:27 Another oddity is this sliproad at Brampton which is clearly designed to be public access but at the moment provides no benefit as you can just use the A1 route to get to the same place. The streetview car has been up it twice and on the 2020 one another vehicle is ahead. There are also lots of hatched off areas near this section as if it was intended to have another lane, but there doesn't appear to be enough room under the overpass.
My first thought was "maybe it's an easier way to access the services from the westbound A14?" No, because you've got to go almost the whole way around the roundabout under the A1. I suppose if someone is desperate for the toilet and an accident has caused the northbound A1 to grind to a halt it could be very handy.
I think I've explained earlier in this topic. The sliproads here are provided here to allow for planned maintenance works and diversions - I think if the A1 immediately south of Brampton hut was closed there would otherwise be no diversion route for the A14 to A1 north traffic? They were added quite late in the day, during the DCO examination. At that stage you are only allowed to make "non-material changes", making the sliproads public use 24/7 would be a material change and not allowed.
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Re: A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon "news"

Post by A303Chris »

MotorwayGuy wrote: Thu Mar 31, 2022 17:43
jnty wrote: Thu Mar 31, 2022 17:26
MotorwayGuy wrote: Thu Mar 31, 2022 14:27 There are also lots of hatched off areas near this section as if it was intended to have another lane, but there doesn't appear to be enough room under the overpass.
Is that not just a corner radius thing? I assumed that was the case with this similar situation on approach to the Queensferry Crossing.
I did think that, but there's quite a large section further up as well.
Why not just make it a hard shoulder on the inside!!!
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