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BBC News
7 days ago
- Automotive
- BBC News
Black Cat road improvements costing £1m a day hits midpoint
A road improvement project is costing about £1m a day as it reaches its National Highways scheme is building a 10-mile dual carriageway between the Black Cat roundabout in Bedfordshire and Caxton Gibbet in aim is to reduce congestion and speed up journey times along the A428, with about 80,000 drivers using the roundabout each Salmon, senior project manager with National Highways, said: "A billion pounds, that's the the cost of the scheme. At the moment we're in the peak because it's the peak earth moving season, we're spending about a million pounds a day." "We are very heavily scrutinized by the Department for Transport and the Treasury," he added."There's a lot of scrutiny on this project, it's the biggest road project in construction at the moment." Key planned elements of the project include an underpass for the A1, a flyover for the A421 dual carriageway - and a new dual carriageway linking to the Salmon explained problems were caused by people coming on to the existing single carriageway from nearby junctions and local villages, causing a "pinch point".He explained: "This work just unlocks all those problems, unlocks safety issues, that time people spend queuing in traffic. "There was a huge amount of support in the leadup to this scheme. People who know this area, live and travel through, totally understand why this scheme is being built." Ahead of major roadworks planned for this weekend, Mr Salmon explained the project was halfway said: "We're exactly where we should be. "We had a real problem with rain in September last year, massive amounts of flooding right across the region and that affected us as well, but we've more than made that back."Spring 2027 is when we're open for traffic. Sounds like a long time, but actually we're already 18 months through, so it won't take long now." Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
01-08-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Call for £18m rail line upgrade between Nottingham and Lincoln
A proposed £18m upgrade to a "critical" rail line will cut journey times, reduce road traffic and boost the local economy, campaigners have the journey between Nottingham, Newark and Lincoln - known as the Castle Line - takes around an Connect said only 10% of trips on this route were by train, but increasing the speed should make it more group, which represents local councils and transport providers, first put forward the idea in 2023 but has now submitted a new report on the project to the Department for Transport (DfT). 'Economic growth' The proposed upgrades aim to increase train speeds along the route from a typical 50mph (80km/h) to about 75mph (120km/h).The long-term aim is to double the frequency of services to two trains an hour, though no aim has been announced for how long journeys would take between the two cities following the Connect said this could drive economic development, promote more sustainable travel and foster social mobility along the route, helping to address areas of deprivation. Its report estimates the project could deliver a £3.60 return in regional benefits for every £1 proposed work would see the relocation of one signal unit, short sections of minor track re-alignment and carrying out structural repairs to existing Naish, MP for Rushcliffe and chair of the East Midlands all-party political group, said: "The Castle Line is a critical local line, connecting many suburban and rural communities to jobs, services, and opportunities in both major cities."Nottingham and Lincoln are fantastic cities, homes to a diverse range of businesses and excellent universities. "By better connecting them to the local communities in between, we can help to improve social mobility and drive forwards economic growth while promoting more sustainable transport choices."I fully back this proposal."Midlands Connect is asking the DfT to grant approval for the scheme to proceed to Decision to Develop, which is the second of five stages in the Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline (RNEP) it progresses on schedule, work could start in April 2026 with completion in summer 2028.A DfT spokesperson said: "We are absolutely committed to improving connectivity across the East Midlands, which is why we are investing over £2bn to improve transport infrastructure in the region, as part of our Plan for Change."We will look carefully at the proposals for the Castle Line and we fully anticipate it will be part of a pipeline of projects to be considered in future funding decisions."
