A10 upgrade options to be considered

Plans for a major upgrade to one of the key routes into and out of West Norfolk are due to be considered this week.

Members of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority are being urged to approve an outline business case for improvements to the A10, which could end up costing more than £300 million.

And the region's mayor, James Palmer, says they can now demonstrate the benefits of upgrading the route.

He said: "If the Board agree in principle to move to the Outline Business Case stage, we will be a huge step closer to delivering a better, greener, safer A10 for active travel, public transport and private vehicles.”

Although officials have previously expressed an ambition to improve the A10 all the way up to the county boundary with West Norfolk, the current proposals relate solely to the section between Ely and Cambridge.

The report due to go before the authority's board on Wednesday contains seven options, ranging from improvements to existing junctions to a full dual carriageway west of the existing route.

Of those, six are considered to be more than twice over the "high" value for money threshold as applied by the Department for Transport. Only the junction improvements on their own, the scheme with the lowest estimated financial cost at around £39 million, were deemed not to meet that level.

The report estimates that a full dual carriageway would cost around £311 million, while other options range from £104 million to £272 million.

The document said there was also "significant" public support for improvements to be done, although opinion was divided as to which option should be pursued.

Mr Palmer added: “Speak to anyone who lives near the A10 and they will tell you the long history of the severe congestion it suffers, causing misery to thousands of local people, commuters, freight drivers and farmers every day.

"They will also tell you how long there has been talk of a plan to fix the issue. I am glad that the authority have now taken the action needed to firm up the options and bring the prospect that much closer.

"I am delighted that we can now demonstrate the value for money, strategic advantages and improvement of quality of life that improving the A10 can bring."