Skanska is leading an important upgrade scheme to improve hundreds of thousands of journeys between Milton Keynes, Bedford and Cambridge has been given the green light to proceed.

Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps granted planning permission for works to begin on the National Highways A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet improvements scheme, which will tackle one of the region’s most notorious congestion hotspots.

Skanska is responsible for the design and build of the scheme, working closely with design partner Mott MacDonald.

The scheme involves the creation of a new 10-mile dual carriageway linking the A1 Black Cat roundabout in Bedfordshire to the A428 Caxton Gibbet roundabout in Cambridgeshire.

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Skanska's Project Director, Willie McCormick said: "Gaining DCO consent is a massive achievement for the project. It involved four years of hard work, with over 100 people from the many organisations involved. I cannot thank everyone enough for their efforts, not only for their individual contributions but also for working together as one incredible team."

Glennan Blackmore, Operations Director at Skanska added: "This is a great result and an important next step on the journey of the A428. I am immensely proud of the efforts from all of the integrated team that have collaborated fantastically to achieve this result."

The project will fill in the missing link of dual carriageway on the strategic road network between Milton Keynes and Cambridge, helping drivers save up to an hour-and-a-half on their journeys every week.

Lee Galloway, National Highways Project Director, said: "This announcement is a major milestone, not only for the us, but also for the many local communities who have long campaigned for improvements, as well as our stakeholders who we’ve been working with for several years.

"Our proposals to upgrade the route between the A1 Black Cat roundabout and A428 Caxton Gibbet roundabout with a new 10-mile dual carriageway and a number of junction improvements are good for businesses and jobs, will improve safety and make journeys more reliable."

Construction is due to commence later this year.