Plans for opening of A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet scheme announced

Although no official opening date has been given, road users are expected to be able to use most of the scheme from spring 2027.

This includes the new ten-mile A421 dual carriageway between Black Cat and Caxton Gibbet, the new A421 flyover at Black Cat, dual carriageway entry and exit access at the new Cambridge Road junction, and a fully upgraded Caxton Gibbet junction.

National Highways says the final part of the scheme is the new A1 underpass at the Black Cat junction, which it describes as ‘the most complex element’ of the project.

The final part of the scheme is expected to open in the middle of the summer of 2027.

In a statement National Highways said: “During construction, we discovered a higher-than-expected number of unrecorded underground services, including water, gas and telecommunications services, which needed to be safely moved before work could continue.

“This happens as many essential services have been installed underground over decades, and some older records are incomplete.

“To protect supplies to homes and businesses, these services must be carefully identified and relocated before construction can safely progress.

“As these diversion works must be carried out by the utility providers themselves, they have affected the timeline for this part of the project.”

National Highways says it expects traffic using the Black Cat junction to ‘reduce significantly’ following the opening of the new A421 dual carriageway and flyover.

The authority has also warned that A1 traffic will continue using the existing ground-level connections at Black Cat until the A1 underpass opens.

A further update, including confirmed opening dates, is expected in the spring of 2027.

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