Skip to main content

UK government’s US$283 million road building boost for Bedfordshire

Two road-building schemes worth US$283 million, which are a key part of the UK government’s long-term economic plan for Bedfordshire, are on course to be delivered on time and on budget by spring 2017. The 2.8 mile, US$229 million A5-M1 Link scheme is being delivered by Highways England, while the US$54 million, 1.8 mile Woodside Link project is being completed by Central Bedfordshire Council. The A5-M1 Link dual carriageway project is intended to improve the east-west connection between the A5 and M1
March 4, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
Two road-building schemes worth US$283 million, which are a key part of the UK government’s long-term economic plan for Bedfordshire, are on course to be delivered on time and on budget by spring 2017.

The 2.8 mile, US$229 million A5-M1 Link scheme is being delivered by 8101 Highways England, while the US$54 million, 1.8 mile Woodside Link project is being completed by Central Bedfordshire Council.

The A5-M1 Link dual carriageway project is intended to improve the east-west connection between the A5 and M1, north of Dunstable and help reduce congestion through Dunstable town centre, offering motorists better journey time reliability and safer journeys. It includes the building of a completely new dualled road, three new junctions including a new motorway junction, and six new bridges.

The Woodside Link project will connect the industrial areas of Houghton Regis and Dunstable to a new M1 junction 11a. It is already attracting new businesses to the area. When open the 1.8 mile road will also reduce congestion on local roads and improve air quality.

Delivering the schemes will unlock up to 40 hectares of land for businesses and provide the infrastructure for 7,000 homes to be built to the north of Houghton Regis. They will also provide better access to the M1 and reduce congestion in Dunstable.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • ITS solutions to keep truck traffic moving
    June 8, 2015
    David Crawford reviews freight management initiatives. Managing truck traffic to minimise its environmental impacts, without adversely impacting on its critical economic role, continues to drive ITS-based solutions in both urban and interurban contexts.
  • US Cities push for smarter poles
    June 25, 2018
    US Cities The need to connect existing infrastructure has led various US transit authorities into imaginative alleyways: David Crawford examines some new roles for street furniture. US cities are vying with each other in developing schemes to create a new generation of connected places. Their strategies include taking advantage of their streetlight poles’ height and ubiquity to give them new roles in supporting intelligent nodes. They are now being equipped for collecting real-time data on key transport
  • Highways Agency chief executive to step down
    January 29, 2015
    The Chief Executive of the Highways Agency (HA), Graham Dalton, announced today that he is leaving his post in the summer. During his seven years in post Graham has led the agency through a time of financial constraint and of growing ambition for the strategic road network. He has led the agency as it has established a strong reputation for efficiency, for delivering capital investment, and for operating one of the most intensively used road networks in Europe. Graham Dalton said: “It has been a priv
  • £10.6m boost for Glasgow sustainable travel
    July 8, 2025
    Initiatives to encourage more walking and cycling will receive funding