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East Coast Mainline Blockade for Werrington Junction diveunder


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Approx In the gap where the old pre-slewing tracks are.

Diving under the ECML tracks slightly north of the current junction, under Werrington Parkway in the arch vacated by Hurn Road, joining the old tracks near the old Lincoln Road.

The current alignment & ladder junction will remain as well.

When finished the up and down Stamford lines will straddle the dive-under to make a conflict free junction at it's southern end.

Edited by melmerby
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1 hour ago, PenrithBeacon said:

Nice video, thanks for that. I stopped going to Werrington when most of the freight was diverted down the Lincoln line.

But, I think I've lost the plot. Where is the diveunder going to be located?

Cheers

 

Thanks

werrington junction joint plans stitched.pdf

 

See next post as I could not post both plans together in the same post.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by Donington Road
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Digressing slightly, but not very far, I went down to the Cambridge area yesterday. Passing through Godmanchester, I noticed two large mobile cranes on the overbridge (where the now-closed, old A14 crosses above the ECML). 

 

I know there are forthcoming weekend closures in the coming weeks, and I know the new A14 bypasses much of the former route between Alconbury and Cambridge; are these bridges intended to be removed? 

 

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The old A14 bridge over the railway at Huntingdon (with the water tower alongside) is to be demolished as it is considered unsafe having reached end of life.

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I wonder.

 

If that were the case, it seems SUCH a coincidence that it should do so just as the new bypass is ready.

 

Methinks it's more to stop through traffic from continuing to use it as a nice empty road to the new A14 once finished.

 

(Cynical mode: off)

 

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Coincidence? No, not at all. 

 

I actually drove on the new A14 yesterday. Like most locals, I’ve become so sick of the chaos on road and rail (especially on the roads) that I had just blanked out the whole subject. After all, that road has been under major reconstruction since the A1M widening, and that was in the late 90s...

 

the new A14 is clearly designed to direct the huge HGV traffic flows up the M11 from Dover and Felixstowe, to the Golden Triangle located roughly between Coventry and Daventry, bypassing Huntingdon and the (presumably) failed plans for the development of RAF Alconbury. There are associated works to address the crazy mess of the M11/A14 intersection North of Cambridge, particularly turning North onto the new A14 from the existing Cambridge Northern Bypass. The daily gridlock of commuters into Cambridge (which will be made much worse by the construction of the proposed development of Northstowe) doesn’t seem to have been given much consideration, though. 

 

https://highwaysengland.co.uk/a14-cambridge-to-huntingdon-improvement-scheme-about/

 

Hopefully, it will largely eliminate HGV traffic on the Brampton Link and the A605, both of which (especially the A605) clearly can’t continue much longer. 

 

The Huntingdon Overpass, or whatever it is called, would have no function in that scheme. It doesn’t provide a link into Huntingdon itself, after all. The historic bridge in Huntingdon can’t stand the traffic loads either. 

 

 

Edited by rockershovel
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41 minutes ago, JeffP said:

I wonder.

 

If that were the case, it seems SUCH a coincidence that it should do so just as the new bypass is ready.

 

Methinks it's more to stop through traffic from continuing to use it as a nice empty road to the new A14 once finished.

 

(Cynical mode: off)

 

As has been said, the old Huntingdon overbridge has been scheduled for removal - it's actually quite old and I seem to remember it being there in my college days in the mid '70's. Since then the traffic levels have exploded to and from Felixstowe, so it must have taken quite a battering especially as lorry weights have increased.

 

The downside of the new A14 south of Huntingdon is that it ploughs through open farmland, previously without much in the way of road access, and presumably it's a matter of time before more distribution centres and the like spring up alongside - more countryside down the drain!

 

John.

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49 minutes ago, JeffP said:

I wonder.

 

If that were the case, it seems SUCH a coincidence that it should do so just as the new bypass is ready.

 

Methinks it's more to stop through traffic from continuing to use it as a nice empty road to the new A14 once finished.

 

(Cynical mode: off)

 

 

Something like 10-12 years ago the bridge over the railway had to be strengthened with a massive steel substructure. Like a lot of concrete bridges from the 60's/70's it has not fared well over time with the increased traffice and vehicle weights.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.3297452,-0.1920687,3a,75y,166.45h,91.47t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sYo8FAxstZz0I0rE8aqKSYQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

 

Looking at the span of the deck it is longer than those around it, as it not only had to span the 4 tracks of the ECML on the skew, but also the B1514.

 

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I used to travel from Cambridge to Yorkshire or Derbyshire about once a month in the early 70s, and we used to go through Huntingdon, over the stone bridge, continue up the A604 (as it then was) and join the A1 at Norman Cross or Kate’s Cabin. The bridge certainly pre-dates the electrification of the Peterborough - Kings X Line in the 80s. 

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54 minutes ago, rockershovel said:

I used to travel from Cambridge to Yorkshire or Derbyshire about once a month in the early 70s, and we used to go through Huntingdon, over the stone bridge, continue up the A604 (as it then was) and join the A1 at Norman Cross or Kate’s Cabin. The bridge certainly pre-dates the electrification of the Peterborough - Kings X Line in the 80s. 

 

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Edited by class26
misreading of previous post
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3 hours ago, rockershovel said:

I used to travel from Cambridge to Yorkshire or Derbyshire about once a month in the early 70s, and we used to go through Huntingdon, over the stone bridge, continue up the A604 (as it then was) and join the A1 at Norman Cross or Kate’s Cabin. The bridge certainly pre-dates the electrification of the Peterborough - Kings X Line in the 80s. 

 

Actually you travelled along the A604 from Cambridge to Godmanchester (just south of Huntingdon) where you joined the 'old A14' through Huntingdon (over the stone bridge) then northwards through Stukeley passing the RAF Alconbury entrance and joining the A1 at Alconbury Hill north of Alconbury village.

 

The original A14 ran from Alconbury Hill (junction with A1), through Stukeley, Huntingdon, Godmanchester and Papworth to Royston (junction with A10), a road of less than 30 miles in length.

The existing A1/A14 link road from Alconbury Hill to Spitals Interchange at Huntingdon bypassing Stukeley was built at the same time as the Huntingdon flyover.

Edited by Donington Road
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1 hour ago, Donington Road said:

 

Actually you travelled along the A604 from Cambridge to Godmanchester (just south of Huntingdon) where you joined the 'old A14' through Huntingdon (over the stone bridge) then northwards through Stukeley passing the RAF Alconbury entrance and joining the A1 at Alconbury Hill north of Alconbury village.

 

The original A14 ran from Alconbury Hill (junction with A1), through Stukeley, Huntingdon, Godmanchester and Papworth to Royston (junction with A10), a road of less than 30 miles in length.

The existing A1/A14 link road from Alconbury Hill to Spitals Interchange at Huntingdon bypassing Stukeley was built at the same time as the Huntingdon flyover.

 

You certainly paid much more attention to the signs than I ever did! I didn’t have a U.K. car licence at the time, and so was usually relegated to the back seats... only co-drivers got front seats... Cambridge (Castle Hill car park) to Kate’s Cabin for Sunday breakfast was a popular “burn up” in those days. On up the A1 to the transport cafe on the right, or the Road Hog near Grantham if the weather was fine! 

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10 minutes ago, rockershovel said:

 

You certainly paid much more attention to the signs than I ever did! I didn’t have a U.K. car licence at the time, and so was usually relegated to the back seats... only co-drivers got front seats... Cambridge (Castle Hill car park) to Kate’s Cabin for Sunday breakfast was a popular “burn up” in those days. On up the A1 to the transport cafe on the right, or the Road Hog near Grantham if the weather was fine! 

 

The only way to navigate years ago was a paper map, road signs and the direction of the sun.  Going home to Peterborough was easier if the wind was in the right direction as you could smell the sulpherous fumes of all the brick works. :jester:

My wife's brother lived in Linton and Horseheath and my grandparents lived in Hundon and Clare at one time, so I know the area quite well.

I think in fifty plus years of driving I have only passed Kate's Cabin no more than half a dozen times, It's a stretch of road I never hardly travel.

Access to and from the A1 for me (Peterborough) was always at Norman Cross (A15) in the south and Casterton (Stamford) in the north, in latter years it has changed to Peterborough Services (A605) and Wansford (A47), but that stretch of the A1 in between is still alien to me apart from attending a wedding reception at The Sibson Inn nine years ago.

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3 hours ago, Donington Road said:

 

Actually you travelled along the A604 from Cambridge to Godmanchester (just south of Huntingdon) where you joined the 'old A14' through Huntingdon (over the stone bridge) then northwards through Stukeley passing the RAF Alconbury entrance and joining the A1 at Alconbury Hill north of Alconbury village.

 

The original A14 ran from Alconbury Hill (junction with A1), through Stukeley, Huntingdon, Godmanchester and Papworth to Royston (junction with A10), a road of less than 30 miles in length.

The existing A1/A14 link road from Alconbury Hill to Spitals Interchange at Huntingdon bypassing Stukeley was built at the same time as the Huntingdon flyover.

Yes, it's actually quite confusing now given that a number of the road numbers have changed since the '70's. The A45 ran through Cambridge back then, heading west towards St.Neots and intersecting what must have been the A14 at Caxton Gibbets. There was no ring road around Cambridge then, and lorries heading for Felixstowe came quite close to the city centre passing close to Churchill College and just north of Magdalen bridge.

 

One thing that has always irked me is that the A14 as designated today infringes the old established numbering system that specified the first digit applied to roads going clockwise from the main route with that number. So the A14 in the '70's ran to the east of the A1, looking at a map of the country and taking the next segment clockwise. The then A604 must have had its origins somewhere west of the A1, but east of the A6, like the A605 for example. The A14 as it is now starts just east of the A5 at its origin with the M1/ M6 interchange, and so should really start with a "5".

 

Sorry, I'm going off thread!

 

John.

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10 minutes ago, John Tomlinson said:

 

 

One thing that has always irked me is that the A14 as designated today infringes the old established numbering system that specified the first digit applied to roads going clockwise from the main route with that number. So the A14 in the '70's ran to the east of the A1, looking at a map of the country and taking the next segment clockwise. The then A604 must have had its origins somewhere west of the A1, but east of the A6, like the A605 for example. The A14 as it is now starts just east of the A5 at its origin with the M1/ M6 interchange, and so should really start with a "5".

 

Sorry, I'm going off thread!

 

John.

Unless you take the Eastern end as the start point, then it warrants a "1"

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2 minutes ago, melmerby said:

Unless you take the Eastern end as the start point, then it warrants a "1"

 

But the junction numbering starts at the western end ...

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Just now, Richard E said:

 

But the junction numbering starts at the western end ...

Does it? Didn't know that.

It's ages since I used it and there weren't any numbers then!

Mind you they had only done the Eastern bit, to Cambridge. The link to the M6 didn't exist, you had to circumnavigate Northampton.

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For those who want to know more about roads https://www.roads.org.uk/

There are many links on that site to lots of other interesting sites as well.  Be prepared to be engrossed for a while.

 

Back on topic of the Werrington Upgrade.

Since the Christmas blitz the New Year has not seen much activity.  Photo of the site today from taken from Hurn Road footbridge before the expected joining up of the Up Stamford line with the new alignment starting at 22:30 tomorrow evening and lasting to 04:00 Monday.

I have been told from someone local who goes to all the meetings that there is another public open meeting at the Loxley Centre, Werrington on Monday 6th January opening at 3:00pm rather than the usual 2:00pm.  I have not heard or seen anything from NR official sources as to the date and time.

 

pan1.jpg.50063cce17cf2cf8f56eb1b184823455.jpg

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2 hours ago, Donington Road said:

For those who want to know more about roads https://www.roads.org.uk/

There are many links on that site to lots of other interesting sites as well.  Be prepared to be engrossed for a while.

 

Back on topic of the Werrington Upgrade.

Since the Christmas blitz the New Year has not seen much activity.  Photo of the site today from taken from Hurn Road footbridge before the expected joining up of the Up Stamford line with the new alignment starting at 22:30 tomorrow evening and lasting to 04:00 Monday.

I have been told from someone local who goes to all the meetings that there is another public open meeting at the Loxley Centre, Werrington on Monday 6th January opening at 3:00pm rather than the usual 2:00pm.  I have not heard or seen anything from NR official sources as to the date and time.

 

pan1.jpg.50063cce17cf2cf8f56eb1b184823455.jpg

Still looks very wet around there.

I suppose it's all really the flood plain of the River Nene.

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