Drivers on the A14 are to benefit from more reliable and safer journeys as Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly today announced the go-ahead for an £89.5m project to install new jam-busting technology on the route.

The scheme will deliver improvements over a total of 62 miles of the A14, from the M1 in the west to Felixstowe in the east, providing road users with journey time information, warnings of upcoming congestion and advice on potential alternative routes.

The scheme will see automatic incident detection sensors embedded in the road surface providing real-time traffic information to electronic signs installed above the road. This will allow traffic to be re-routed following road incidents, giving drivers a better choice of routes, helping them to escape jams and reducing secondary accidents. Incident monitoring cameras will also be installed to allow Highways Agency traffic officers to respond more quickly to accidents, helping to cut road closure times and improve safety.

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Ruth Kelly said: "The A14 is a crucial link between the Port of Felixstowe and industrial centres in the Midlands - making it both a key route both for East Anglia and for the wider economy.

"This £89.5m of Government investment reflects both our commitment to assisting economic growth and to improving safety and reliability for drivers on our major roads."

Work will start on site by February 2009. The project will be delivered by 2010 and is part of a wider programme of improvements on the A14. Ongoing work to upgrade the A14 from two lanes to three lanes in each direction between Ellington and Fen Ditton means that that stretch of the road will not be included in the technology scheme.

(JM/CD)