Come along to public information events about the A421 road upgrade
Friday, 4 January 2019
We will be holding two free public drop-in information events to answer questions and queries from the public about our project to complete the A421 road upgrade into Milton Keynes.
We started preparatory site work on the A421 last September, and have been busy clearing the site, putting in new boundary fencing, and relocating utility pipes and cables. In February we will start the main construction of a dual carriageway which will run from Magna Park in Milton Keynes to the roundabouts by junction 13 of the M1.
The majority of this 3km stretch falls into Central Bedfordshire. We are therefore leading on the project but are working with Milton Keynes Council. Both councils are each contributing up to £3million towards this £28.5million project.
The team working on the A421 improvements is holding two free drop-in events for the public to ask any questions and to find out about the next steps on:
- Wednesday 16 January 2019, from 1pm to 8pm at The Mary Agate Hall (Large Hall), Wavendon Road, Salford, MK17 8BD
- Thursday 17 January 2019, from 1:30pm to 6pm at Cranfield Village Hall, Court Road, Cranfield, MK43 0DR
Councillor Ian Dalgarno, Executive Member for Community Services at Central Bedfordshire Council, said: “This section of road is used by around 30,000 vehicles a day. The new dual carriageway will help ease congestion and take traffic away from local parishes, therefore increasing safety and benefiting local businesses and commuters.
“Work on converting this last section of the A421 into dual carriageway is going well so far. In February we'll be starting the main construction of the dual carriage in earnest. So we'd be delighted to talk to any local residents and businesses who want to find out more about our plans and the next steps."
To build the dual carriageway, the council will need to extend two bridges over the wider A421 and the M1: the Cranfield Road bridge and another footbridge near Hulcote. In preparation, the council will need to close the Cranfield Road bridge from 8pm on Friday 11 January, to 6am on Monday 14 January 2019. This will allow the council to get the foundations ready for a temporary bridge that will carry utility company pipes and cables whilst it constructs the new road.
There is also a second closure planned from 8pm on Friday 15 February, to 6am on Monday 18 February 2019 when both the A421 (from Eagle Farm roundabout to Junction 13 of the M1) and Cranfield Road will be closed. This will allow a crane to lift and put in place three sections of the temporary bridge.
During both closures the M1 road will be open, or diversion routes for non-motorway traffic will be posted on our website. The public can also read more about the A421 road improvements, get progress updates, and sign-up for email alerts via that website.