Huntingdonshire District Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council ) and their elected members , as well as Parish Councils and other interested parties along the route of the proposed scheme .
Archaeologists will continue to explore areas affected by the improvements . ‘ Field 44 ’ in Bedfordshire has already uncovered evidence of an ancient farm , which has offered an incredible glimpse through time to see how life has changed over the last 6,000 years .
As well as archaeology , National Highways will continue their ecological surveys and ground investigations , to inform the detailed scheme design . This work is important at this stage to minimise disruption for neighbours and those local to the scheme , so National Highways are fully prepared for construction to start , when permission is granted .
Work is also ongoing to upgrade the concrete roads across the region . Most of our road network is surfaced with asphalt , also known as blacktop or tarmac , but some roads are built of concrete . These make up around 400 miles ( 4 %) of England ’ s motorway and long-distance A-road network .
Most of these concrete roads are in the east of England and include sections of the A14 , A12 , A120 , A11 and M11 .
National Highways have launched a new five-year programme that will see around half of the old-style concrete roads in the East repaired or replaced . The surface of the concrete roads that were designed between the 1950s and 1970s has an average life span of 50 years .
These road surfaces are now reaching the stage where they will need to be repaired or replaced for safety reasons , and to make them less noisy and better to drive on .
They need vital upgrades to ensure they remain safe , dependable and durable . Better surfaces will also boost ride quality and reduce noise for many years to come .
Depending on their condition , some roads will be repaired to extend their life and others will be fully replaced . Decisions about what type of work will be done are only taken once an extensive review of the existing road surface has been carried out and the benefits the works bring to customers and the wider community thoroughly examined .
Where National Highways decide to reconstruct a section of concrete road , they ’ ll replace concrete road surfaces that are in poor condition with a new smoother surface . This means completely removing the old material and reconstructing the road to a much greater depth - almost the same as when building a new road from scratch . This new surface will last for up to 40 years .
Where they chose to extend the life of a road , they ’ ll carry out specialist repairs to maximise the life of the existing concrete road surfaces . This will enable National Highways to keep the road operating safely for another 10 years .
All works will result in roads that are quieter , smoother , easier to maintain and therefore safer for customers for years to come .
National Highways plan to reuse the materials removed from concrete roads in other road projects wherever possible , as well as working with the supply chain to develop new techniques to reduce their carbon footprint .
All works will also be carried out to high environmental standards , enhancing the environment wherever possible .
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