An eight week consultation period has begun on plans for a 10-mile dual carriageway between Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire.

The A428 upgrade will link the Black Cat roundabout in Bedfordshire to the Caxton Gibbet roundabout in Cambridgeshire. Both roundabouts would also be upgraded into modern, free-flowing junctions and a new junction would be added at Cambridge Road near St Neots.

It would replace the only remaining section of single carriageway between Milton Keynes and Cambridge and tackle one of the region’s most notorious congestion hotspots.

Three route options for the carraigeway and a further three options for improving the Black Cat roundabout are being put to the public before the final plans go forward for planning consent early next year.

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Highways England A428 programme lead Lee Galloway said: "The current A428 carries twice the traffic it was designed for and cuts through small communities and villages. It can get painfully congested – in fact it is in the worst 20 per cent of roads for delays in the whole country. Our plans will make a real difference, improving people's journeys, reducing rat running on local roads and better linking the two key economic hubs of Milton Keynes and Cambridge, with economic benefits being felt across the whole region. People's input has been essential in getting us to this stage, and I am looking forward to hearing what people think about our plans."

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said: "These important upgrades will not only relieve congestion but will also link businesses and communities helping to boost the region's economy and make a real difference to people's lives.

"This is part of the government's £15 billion Road Investment Strategy to improve our motorways and major 'A' roads helping get motorists to their destinations quickly, easily and safely."

People can respond to the consultation by visiting the A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet webpage. Copies of the consultation booklet are also available at local council offices and libraries.

The consultation closes at 11:59pm on Sunday 28 July 2019.