Histon Road - temporary inbound closure
The current works on Histon Road are progressing well with Phase A improvements at the junction with Victoria Road and Huntingdon Road.
We are now moving to the next phase which will require us to close Histon Road to inbound motor traffic for the duration of the construction. This closure will help to complete the works in a shorter period of time. The temporary road closure is planned to start from Monday 29th June 2020.
We would like to apologise for any inconvenience these works may cause. However, these works will deliver improvements for those who cycle, walk or use public transport on Histon Road and will help make travel in Cambridge more sustainable. Given the national priority to promote active travel during the current Covid-19 situation, it is more important than ever to progress with these works as they will directly help those who cannot work remotely and must travel. We hope the impact of the temporary road closure is reduced due to lower traffic levels and fewer children attending school.
While the temporary closure is in place, Histon Road will be one-way, outbound only for all motor traffic. Cyclists and pedestrians will still be able to travel both ways on Histon Road throughout the road works period.
The closure point will be just to the south of the King’s Hedges Road junction allowing inbound traffic to access King’s Hedges Road, and also allowing construction and farm traffic to enter the Darwin Green site.
Access to properties along Histon Road and its side roads will remain open at all times. For residents and businesses on the closed side of the road access will be permitted via site access points.
Diversion routes
While the road is closed the diversion route will be via the A14, Milton Road and Victoria Road and will be signposted along the route as well as on the wider road network.
Signs, Barriers, Fences & Cones
Please do not alter or remove any of the traffic management associated with the road closures. If items are blocking your access, please speak to a member of the onsite traffic management team.
Traffic Management
There will be site access/egress points positioned along the length of the closure which will be used by members of the public that need to access their homes or businesses on the same side of the road closure. Driveways may be temporarily blocked, for short periods, whilst completing the works directly in front of them. This will be communicated to each household on an individual basis prior to the works in each area commencing, so that any critical access arrangements can be maintained.
Bin collections
We are liaising with the waste and streets team. Please continue to put your wheelie bin(s) out for collection on the normal day unless you are advised otherwise.
Buses
The inbound closure of Histon Road will affect several current bus services including the Citi 8 service from Cottenham, and the Busway B service.
The inbound Citi 8 service will be diverted via King’s Hedges Road, Arbury Road, Mere Way, Carlton Way, Gilbert Road and Milton Road. This will include a stop quite close to Histon Road near the junction of Carlton Way and Gilbert Road.
The outbound Citi 8 will use Histon Road as normal.
The Busway B inbound service will divert via the Science Park and CRC stops then use Milton Road to access the city centre but will also continue to travel outbound on Histon Road serving Shire Hall and Orchard Park.
Shuttle Bus
A new shuttle bus, route 8H, will be provided to compensate for the loss of inbound services on Histon Road. This will circulate from the city centre via Victoria Road to Histon Road and then via King’s Hedges Road to Orchard Park where it will operate via an anticlockwise loop of Chieftain Way, Circle Drive and Chariot Way to Arbury Road and then as the diverted route 8 back to the city centre.
Working during Covid-19
The health, safety and wellbeing of our contractors, employees and the general public is of paramount importance. A full risk assessment has been carried out and staff are taking additional safety precautions to comply with Covid-19 guidance. All construction works are taking place under the condition that social distancing guidance that has been developed by the construction industry is followed.
Construction Details
Work is underway on Histon Road and is scheduled to be completed by July 2021. Please see the document section below for the latest project updates.
The works will be carried out in phases with construction and traffic management plans having been developed in consultation with a wide number of stakeholders, including your local councillors, the County Council’s Streetworks Team, Skanska, Stagecoach and the Highways England A14 Project Team.
The table below shows the current planned programme of work (please note timescales are indicative, dependent on a range of factors, such as weather, and therefore may be subject to change):
|
Phases |
Location |
Estimated Dates |
Traffic Management |
Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Site clearance and set up |
Entire length of Histon Road |
27 Jan 2020 – May 2020 |
Temporary traffic signal control |
Mostly completed, with further works planned for the autumn |
|
Phase A |
Victoria/Huntingdon Road Junction |
27 Jan 2020 – Aug 2020 |
Temporary traffic signal control |
Ongoing |
|
Phase B |
Gilbert Road to Victoria Road |
29 June 2020 – Spring 2021 | Partial Road closure (inbound) | Upcoming |
|
Phase C |
Gilbert/Warwick Road Junction |
Autumn 2020 – Spring 2021 |
Partial Road closure (inbound) | Upcoming |
|
Phase D |
King’s Hedges Road to Gilbert Road |
29 June 2020 – Summer 2021 |
Partial Road closure (inbound) | Upcoming |
Find out more
There are several ways that you can keep up to date with the project or raise any concerns you might have:
- Sign up to receive regular project updates: Skanska, our main contractor, will produce regular email updates on the work progress. If you’d like to receive these updates directly, please do register on our Email Newsletter Subscription page, selecting Histon Road in the Projects section. Alternatively, please scroll down to the documents section to download the latest updates. Directly affected properties will also receive mailings at appropriate stages during construction.
- Contractor’s contact details: If you have any concerns during the construction, please do get in touch with Skanska’s project team on HISTONROAD.CONTACT@skanska.co.uk or telephone their 24 hour contact centre on 0330 105 1980.
We know that any closure along Histon Road will affect residents and businesses as well as people travelling in the area. We would like to apologise for any inconvenience these works may cause. However, these works will deliver improvement for those who cycle, walk or use public transport on Histon Road and help make travel in Cambridge more sustainable. Temporarily closing the road in one direction will also allow us to complete the works in a shorter period of time.
We are working with our contractors Skanska and Stagecoach to minimise disruption where possible, including ensuring availability of comprehensive travel information for residents, commuters and businesses likely to be affected at each phase of the project.
