Why Spend £46,000,000 To REMOVE This Bridge - Huntingdon Viaduct A14

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#infrastructure #bridge #driving
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In this video, we'll be looking at why it was decided to spend a small fortune on removing a piece of vital infrastructure. What grand plans await us when a replacement is installed and why bother in the first place, it seems a bit pricey... That said, the town of Huntingdon may see other benefits that could make it worthwhile.

Опубликовано:

28 сен 2024

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Комментарии : 489

@McRocket 4 месяца назад

Your combination of humor, realism AND cynicism is refreshing. ☮

@nathansmith7153 4 месяца назад

Cynicism doesn't fix the problems

@McRocket 4 месяца назад

@@nathansmith7153 I never said it did. But cynicism opens your mind to potential problems to then fix those problems. Blind trust is never a good thing. ☮

@Nooticus 4 месяца назад

@@nathansmith7153^ why i don’t really like this channel much tbh

@christopher9727 3 месяца назад

... Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Come to Jesus Christ today Jesus Christ is only way to heaven Repent and follow him today seek his heart Jesus Christ can fill the emptiness he can fill the void Heaven and hell is real cone to the loving savior today Today is the day of salvation tomorrow might be to late come to the loving savior today John 3:16-21 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. Mark 1.15 15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Hebrews 11:6 6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Jesus

@aljones27uk 4 месяца назад

As someone who used to regularly commute over that bridge I’m glad I didn’t know then what I know now!

@1258-Eckhart 4 месяца назад

You could have had a "Genoa moment". 😐

@pleappleappleap 4 месяца назад

Oh, dear. The road has collapsed.

@iwantagoodnameplease 3 месяца назад

I suspect the 40mph bridge over the Ouse a minute down the road has the same problem?

@bfapple 3 месяца назад

@@iwantagoodnamepleasegood question. I suspect that the Cambridgeshire council are just looking to make a mint from speeding penalties.

@formes2388 2 месяца назад

@@bfapple Imagine if some government came along, and required speed limits to be set within 5mph of the original design specification of the road (as in: The speed the road is designed to be ran at based on lane width, etc). Solve a LOT of problems with BS speed limit posting, without physical design changes to the road to ensure drivers are going to naturally trend towards the desired safe speed. Would actually lead to safer roads... something about people don't do what is legal, they do what feels right.

@Slash1066 4 месяца назад

I live in Huntingdon. This over pass was literally collapsing, it would have been more expensive to replace it. With the A14 being rerouted to the south it made perfect sense.

@QF_Flyer 4 месяца назад

Yep, I remember when lumps of concrete started falling off it. The A14 upgrade had been in the pipeline for decades (CHUMMS being one of the early studies) but was shelved for a long time. I left before the upgrade was delivered, but have seen it since and it’s a huge improvement. I don’t miss taking an hour to drive from Huntingdon to Cambridge in the am peak.

@trickygoose2 3 месяца назад

I travel to work by train going north through Huntingdon. One morning a few years back there was a problem north of Huntingdon and our train terminated. The train company arranged taxis to get us to Peterborough but we would need to wait for them to arrive. It was raining so we all sheltered under the viaduct. However, we had to be careful where we stood as water was dripping down from it in various places.

@geronimo5537 Месяц назад

let us know in a few years when busineses start closing down and leaving. we have a long history of bypassing roads here in america and the locations often turn into a ghost town following a couple decades.

@trickygoose2 Месяц назад

@@geronimo5537 this is not like that as the old road just passed above Huntingdon on a flyover so it brought very little passing trade to the town.

@ADAMEDWARDS17 4 месяца назад

It wasn't just the pollution from the vehicles it was also the noise as the road was so high up. Getting rid of a 1960s mistake is money well spent for the town. The whole area around the station is vastly better. The error was surely making the new bit of the A1 not a motorway as if they ever do the A1(M) missing bits it will need rebuilding again.

@jamwil200 4 месяца назад

I doubt they ever will do the A1(M) missing bits - the A14 was built to motorway standards, just not made a motorway, so there's little point them doing the same for other bits of road.

@ScottTooley 4 месяца назад

I do remember the noise for sure. Even from the part of high street where Waitrose was, it was still apparent.

@Rebecka_J 4 месяца назад

@@jamwil200 I think @ADAMEDWARDS17 is referring to the section of A1 that was rebuilt between where it is joined by the new A14 and the A1(M) at Alconbury. Though I am sure the reason it, and the new section of A14, were not legally designated as motorways is because of the lack of a hard shoulder. Smart motorways were already controversial by the time of it all opening, so easiest to do nothing and despite it being no safer as an A-road. And both of those roads are effectively motorways but for the legal definition and colour of the sign, as restrictions have been placed on them equivalent to those that apply to motorways, hence needing half a dozen restriction signs on the slip roads. And this secret motorway stuff is something I hate having started out by riding on a motorcycle on a CBT, which prohibits riding on motorways. If you judge by a map or rouet planning software there is no way of knowing you are not allowed on it until you reach those signs. And with my parents living in Lincolnshire this was a route I would use, getting to Alconbury via either the A1 directly or via Huntingdon on the A10 and A1198.

@jamwil200 4 месяца назад

@@Rebecka_J I am aware that that is the section of A1 being referred to. At the time of opening, from my understanding, government policy was to not build hard shoulders on any roads, motorways or not. I have heard that the A14 was due to be made a motorway but they couldn't get the approval through before they needed the signs made due to civil servants being caught up with brexit.

@c.jones-yt 4 месяца назад

Yeah, this video captures all the main points. One thing to note is that the original western bypass of Huntingdon was to relieve pressure not only on the centres of Huntingdon and Godmanchester but also on the tiny mediaeval bridge over the river Ouse. Another is that, when the then-A604 was built, it was never intended that all the Felixstowe to Birmingham road freight would be routed along it. It only later became part of the A14. The new A14 has basically sorted things out. The one pinch point is the bridge over the railway line; I wouldn't be surprised to see plans for a new bridge between the Views Common roundabout and Edith Bell Way some year soon...

@MrJozza65 4 месяца назад

That reminds me; I must grout those kitchen tiles I put up. It's been 14 years now, adhesive should be dry enough.

@KenFullman 4 месяца назад

Check the walls behind them for rust first.

@Rebecka_J 4 месяца назад

The removal of an eyesore, noise, and pollution from Huntingdon is undoubtedly an improvement. But what was not clear from the video is that it made a big improvement to traffic on the A14. The map shown only showed the spur to north of Huntingdon making it look like the road only ran between the M11 and A1(M), but the main line of the A14 turns west to the north of the town to head across country to join the M1 and M6. And because the A14 was made out lots of bits of existing roads it meant to use the mainline traffic has to leave the A14 at Spittals Interchange to use a roundabout to join the A14 (now renumbered as part of the A141). And that only took to another roundabout at the Brampton Hut Interchange with the A1. So the new route not only improved Huntingdon, it also removed those roundabouts and finally made the A14 a freeflowing road all the ways from the edge to Felixstowe to, well, Scotland, as if you do not take any junctions becomes the M6 which becomes the A74(M), which becomes the M74, which takes you onto the M8. Given the increasing risk of the viaduct collapsing, and it sitting over one of the countries most important rail routes, the cost of leaving it up would have ended up being far worse that the cost of demolition.

@darthwiizius 3 месяца назад

And it's not like most of the old road has been dug up or anything, it's just been added to the local network. I would imagine having the traffic further away from the residential areas makes it a lot quieter too? Towns where all you can hear is traffic are a bit oppressive IMO.

@christopher9727 3 месяца назад

.. Do you know Jesus Christ can set you free from sins and save you from hell today Jesus Christ is the only hope in this world no other gods will lead you to heaven There is no security or hope with out Jesus Christ in this world come and repent of all sins today Today is the day of salvation come to the loving savior Today repent and do not go to hell Come to Jesus Christ today Jesus Christ is only way to heaven Repent and follow him today seek his heart Jesus Christ can fill the emptiness he can fill the void Heaven and hell is real cone to the loving savior today Today is the day of salvation tomorrow might be to late come to the loving savior today Romans 6.23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. John 3:16-21 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. Mark 1.15 15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Hebrews 11:6 6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Jesus

@Fan652w 3 месяца назад

Thanks Rebeka for an extremely informative comment. In particular the point that the viaduct crossed the East Coast Main Line should have been stressed in the original video. Before 2020 I occasionally used Huntingdon station, just south of the viaduct. The removal of this viaduct must have considerably improved the environment for waiting passengers.

@Chimpiin 16 дней назад

`I second this. It's been a big improvement. It also provides a very quick and easy way in and out of Huntingdon and the station that doesn't involve the ring road.

@mickpalmer3521 4 месяца назад

As a truck driver in the mid 80s I can remember having to slow down for the joints in the bridge because they were so un- even , it used to give you a real jolt in the seat , bouncing the truck as you crossed over . Horrible bit of road , ok if you knew it was coming as you could lift off your seat in readiness as the truck bottomed out on the suspension 😂

@Laser2120 4 месяца назад

It must have been bad for you to remember this

@henkmagnetic3103 3 месяца назад

I can so relate to your comment when I used to drive Commer truck in a faraway country, maybe so severe as your bridge. Different jolt with loaded or unloaded on flat deck, 1980s. Front wheels right under your bum. Used to drive Commer and Thames Trader vans as well. With the Thames Trader, if I braked too hard, with no load, always thought the back end was going lift off the ground. Wonder if the Chinese could have done a better job building it and cheaper.

@squoblat 4 месяца назад

The lack of a bridge confused the shit out of me the first time I was travelling back West on what I thought was the A14. I don't go that far along it very often and it had been about two years.

@lewis72 4 месяца назад

The other benefit of the new Huntingdon bypass bypass is that you don't have to turn off the A14 at a roundabout junction to stay on the A14 and then go round another roundabout junction to go under the A1(M), so by reducing a lot of stop-start traffic, it would have reduced air pollution. The A14/A45/A604 alone could warrant a series of videos.

@michaelcoles6140 4 месяца назад

I think with the M1 J19 improvements (although lacking two junctions) and the A14 improvements it’s now a fairly good road with so much pollution reduction. 3 disastrous roundabouts and choke points gone.

@lewis72 4 месяца назад

@@michaelcoles6140 Yes, it was down to 1 lane going from the M6 to the A14, under the M1. I think that junction is back to its original state of being a rural road.

@QF_Flyer 4 месяца назад

Indeed, Spittals Interchange was an anomaly in that three exits served the A14 and to continue on the same route, as you say, you had to exit and then rejoin via a signalised roundabout which was always congested af during peak hours, otherwise you ended up on the A1(M), an excellent section of road that was designed with far more capacity than it would ever need.

@flipper2392 3 месяца назад

@@michaelcoles6140 Whoever designed the original Catthorpe interchange needs locking up, that had to be the worst junction in the country.

@charliemansonUK 4 месяца назад

I moved from Huntingdon late last year, and it was a bloody nightmare getting the bridge down. The former A14 it carried, now the A1307 has been 40mph from the train station to Godmanchester for years and that drives the locals nuts. After listening to the locals complaints about the speed limit apparently the highways department decided that the whole of the A1307 should 40mph and have apparently done just that! The other damage causing issue with the bridge was overheight HGVs despite the many warnings slamming into it further reducing the stability of the joints.

@annabelholland 4 месяца назад

Its crazy that you have a 60mph road where it is just enough to fit a car and is very windy, and a 40 mph dual carriageway where it feels like your walking. It feels wrong to do 40 but its the legal thing to do. I think the speed limit on single carriageways should go down to 50mph since France did just that and it's also been done on the A140 between Norwich and Ipswich and the road from Boston to Skegness.

@knights5510 4 месяца назад

@@annabelholland your a bot from the speed campaign lobby

@Mrmayhembsc 4 месяца назад

It was crashed into many a time. I witness a few of them in my days of using the route.

@paulscottrobson 4 месяца назад

All the way back to Cambridge Services ?

@Mrmayhembsc 4 месяца назад

@paulscottrobson just after shell fenstanton

@DjbreedKronikaudio 4 месяца назад

It wasn’t just a bridge, it was one of the few bridges with apart from being huge was also spanning a road and rail i was told one of only three like it in the country, the huge crane used was itself an astounding piece of engineering let alone the removal of the span, it’s made a huge difference to the local roads and noise, Money well spent

@markpage2779 4 месяца назад

Remembering nearby at Alconbury on the A14 there was a McDonald's building that looked like a ufo

@ianmax69 4 месяца назад

That would make a good video that John The Alconbury UFO Not too far away from Former PM John Major's home ... Odd that !

@L0zzle 4 месяца назад

it was a restaurant called Megatron! it was then turned into a Maccies later on and closed around 2007 i think

@narglefargle 4 месяца назад

I remember that McDonald's as well.

@edbrown84 4 месяца назад

I remember the Megatron. 😎

@theonlywoody2shoes 4 месяца назад

I remember ordering a burger inside the Megatron on a computer screen around 20 years ago - you could even customise the burger contents via the screen. Only more recently have the big franchise burger outlets introduced this capability.

@thomas05ish 3 месяца назад

I remember visiting Huntingdon in 2021 and travelling under the overhanging bit of the viaduct, hoping it wouldn’t collapse until I got past! Great video as usual ❤

@Dalesmanable 4 месяца назад

A blast from the past. 35-25 years ago I owned a house at nearby Brampton and worked at RAF Brampton for 3. On Google Maps they are almost unrecognisable - so much change. I shopped in Huntingdon and can still remember the bridge; the road was a noisy intrusion that seemed to contaminate the area and I can see the change as all for the better.

@michaelcoles6140 4 месяца назад

And now all the new bridges on the A14 are sinking or the land at the ends of the bridges are sinking 🤦‍♂️ 1.5billion new problem.

@larry365 4 месяца назад

It's so bad in places. When I'm towing my trailer, I have to slow right down to 40 to go over the sinking sections.

@robinwells8879 4 месяца назад

I noticed that and I assume that they didn’t compact the embankments sufficiently. I would like to think that it’s covered in snagging warranty work but who knows.

@barrieshepherd7694 4 месяца назад

@@robinwells8879 "snagging warranty" 🤣🤣🤣🤣 I bet the contractor will be wriggling out of that!

@robdalziel7056 4 месяца назад

Bridge north of Hilton is the new casualty, with ramp warning signs and bumps that are gradually getting worse.

@Yvolve 4 месяца назад

@@robinwells8879 It all depends on what the contracts are like. There is no standard warranty on commercial projects, that is all determined per job. There are legal requirements of course, but responsibility and liability can be set in a contract. It is very likely the government will have it surveyed to determine the cause of the issue. That will show how far the final product differs from what was agreed on and what was in the plans. Either the contractor fixes it or they're likely taken to court.

@lefthandedspanner 4 месяца назад

minor pedantic point, when the Huntingdon bypass opened in 1979 it was part of A604, as was the rest of the route to A6 at Kettering A14 as we know it today came in the early 90s, and the main reason for the new bypass was to fix the bodge at Girton (a little way to the south), where all through traffic going east to west had to make a sharp right turn onto the ex-A604 via a 270 degree bend on a cloverleaf junction; the new bypass not just gets rid of that nasty junction, but is a more direct route to A1 and points west, and is a vast improvement all round

@Rabchog 4 месяца назад

The A14 at Girton was previously the A604 and before that it was the A45. The A45 went on to St Neots and was going to go further as a new road, to eventually meet The M1. Hence the rather poor right turn at Girton came about when they changed their mind. The A45 at that point was changed to the A604, the existing number of the bit to the A1 beyond Huntingdon and the remaining bit, to St Neots called the A45, became the A428. Then they decided to build the section from the A1 to the M1/M6 junction and then the whole lot from Felixstowe became the A14, which was previously Ermine St from Royston to Huntingdon, that became the A1198, are you still with me? To be fair the flyover at Huntingdon was fucked, I remember standing on one side (closed for roadworks) while trucks roared by on the other and it bounced up and down! It needed taking down before it fell down, on the railway. Now they are upgrading the A428 to the A421 at the Black Cat roundabout and it will probably be that or something else, all the way to the M1 🙄. As you might have guessed, I've lived near it before it was even there.

@frogandspanner 4 месяца назад

In the late '60s/early '70s the A604 was a three-lane (total - not each direction) death trap.

@Rabchog 4 месяца назад

@@frogandspanner I remember it well 😬 Lane each way and suicide lane up the middle. Dualled about 1977/78

@morebasheder 4 месяца назад

I remember that 270° slip road. Saw a lorry topple over a few cars in front once. We managed to get past it but my mate a mile or so behind me got stuck for hours and hours

@Derek_S 4 месяца назад

@@Rabchog I think a little bit later than that. I left London and moved to St Neots in 1978. We then moved to St Ives in 1980. I remember driving to Cambridge when it was a three lane road.

@TMCNJ 3 месяца назад

I’m so glad I found this video. I started truck driving in 2023 and the maps were not updated as of that time so naturally, I was taken down the old A4 straight up to that roundabout you see in the video only to find weight restriction and a road that no longer exists. 😂 it was a nightmare as it was my first week on the job and I’m from the south east so nowhere near this area and didn’t know where to go.

@someperson_12345 2 месяца назад

Yes. Outdated maps is a big pain

@stephenyates962 3 месяца назад

Love the cutaway at 3:15 😂 And all for 'nothing'. Literally! Cracking bit there, Jon. It's moments like these that make your midweek videos worth a watch too

@beeble2003 2 месяца назад

It was nicely done, except that the script ruined the joke. He'd explained at length that, with the rerouting of the A14, there was no need for the bridge any more. The video title talks about removing, rather than replacing it. So I was mostly wondering why he said we'd be wondering what would be built to replace it. He'd already told us.

@andrewmeadows2596 4 месяца назад

Trouble is like last week when A14 was shut all the traffic north was pushed straight through the centre of Huntingdon where the bridge used to run

@multiplyx100 3 месяца назад

From what I've heard, after they'd done all that metal work underneath the bridge someone crashed into it in a lorry, presumably because the height had been substantially reduced. The bridge was then closed down due to damage and I don't think it ever opened again.

@lsd661 4 месяца назад

the new A14 is an absolute tyre shredder, never seen so many blown tyres at the side of the road!

@floppy6799 4 месяца назад

All large roads often have tyres at the side or leaning up the centeral reservation - especially the M1

@LS_on_YT 4 месяца назад

I've only been in the new A14 about 2 times and that's from GODMANCHESTER to the A1 lol

@raithrover1976 4 месяца назад

I'm a lorry driver and have noticed a marked increase in puncture related breakdowns over the last decade or so. I put it down to the fadion for "sporty" SUV type cars that tend to have alloy wheels and low profile tyres which seem to have a tendency to act like a balloon that has been introduced to a pin when it comes to air retention.

@ksawicandraw 4 месяца назад

Hey John could you make a video about the A14?

@lewis72 4 месяца назад

I was just thinking that the A14/A45/A604 could warrant a series of videos. The road(s) you love to hate.

@rkyadius 4 месяца назад

@@lewis72 and the A14(M) secret motorway

@lewis72 4 месяца назад

@@rkyadius Ah yes, I think that that was the bit that went from Huntingdon up to the A1(M) North. There was also an A604(M) somewhere too, may be the same stretch.

@rkyadius 4 месяца назад

@@lewis72 A14(M) A604(M) and A1307(M) are all technically that one bit of slip road that joins the A1(M) north

@lewis72 4 месяца назад

@@rkyadius My favourite part of the old A45 where were it went down to 1 lane in total through St Neots. There were HGVs from the Midlands Europe bound queueing at the bottleneck to get through. Then there was the Cambridge bypass, now A14, the teased you with a 3-lane dual carriageway, then a 2 lane dual carriageway as you went past the A11 turn off, then a whole load of disappointment as it went to single carriageway all the way to Northampton. I don't think that the A604 was much better.

@adamjolley8552 4 месяца назад

I like this video so I pressed the button specifically for that 👉🏻

@robertjones3223 4 месяца назад

I liked this comment so I pressed the button specifically for that 👍

@jo2952 4 месяца назад

I like this comment so I pressed the button specifically for that

@colinsutherland8965 4 месяца назад

Me three 😁

@haggielady 4 месяца назад

Me four

@WhiteRoseYorkshire 4 месяца назад

Actually, this government loves to waste OUR money, and Rishi Sunak has fucked us over more than most politicians.

@RocketsPocket-u2r 4 месяца назад

Thank you for brightening my Wednesday 🙂🖐

@binarydinosaurs 4 месяца назад

I've spent far too many hours of my life queueing on that sodding flyover in both directions so I'm pleased it's gone, and Huntingdon centre must be SO much better now. Thanks to a little medical problem I missed the closing of that stretch of road and the opening of the new bypass bypass. Must go drive it. Nice one as ever, Jon.

@teejayy2130 4 месяца назад

Informative as usual. Very pleasantly distracted in your nice new motorway sign on your studio set😊

@ryangrange938 4 месяца назад

I live in Huntingdon and its not too bad outside of rush hour, although it would be nice to have something other than a massive tarmac junction outside the station

@scottishcarenthusiastsandtrain 9 дней назад

Another fantastic and informative video Jon.

@wrussell 3 месяца назад

Living in Huntingdon as they were building this. This has definitely helped as there use to be a huge amount of congestion at the Brampton hut roundabout and roundabout following due to traffic just trying to pass on the A14. Now all this East West traffic can flow without any roundabout, congestion is a lot better. Also, the hospital and school use to suffer from a single way in and out, but connecting up the old road next to it has definitely helped that too. Overall, it’s definitely an improvement that isn’t without its quirks

@christopher9727 3 месяца назад

... Do you know Jesus Christ can set you free from sins and save you from hell today Jesus Christ is the only hope in this world no other gods will lead you to heaven There is no security or hope with out Jesus Christ in this world come and repent of all sins today Today is the day of salvation come to the loving savior Today repent and do not go to hell Come to Jesus Christ today Jesus Christ is only way to heaven Repent and follow him today seek his heart Jesus Christ can fill the emptiness he can fill the void Heaven and hell is real cone to the loving savior today Today is the day of salvation tomorrow might be to late come to the loving savior today Romans 6.23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. John 3:16-21 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. Mark 1.15 15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Hebrews 11:6 6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Jesus

@Lysimachus 4 месяца назад

I was born in Huntingdon and went there regularly for audiology appointments for two decades - there would be traffic jams nearly all the time. I would dread having to go there because of the traffic. However, soon after I got my driver's licence last year and drove through Huntingdon for the first time and I was surprised by how incredibly smooth and quick the roads were. Nothing like how I remembered it. As you say at 3:36, the non-solution to the lack of viaduct isn't much of an issue because of circumstances elsewhere.

@annabelholland 4 месяца назад

It seems odd that a bridge demolition can take from as little as 30 hours (a weekend closure) to a couple of years. Obviously, they should avoid closing the road as much as possible hence why they don't close the Midland Mainline for six months to electrify the rail from Kettering to Wigston (23 mile section just south of Leicester) and instead keep it open on weekdays and close it on some weekends/nights. Speaking of which, demolishing a bridge over a railway that has the overhead wires (OLE) is even more difficult and disruptive which is the case here over the East Coast Main Line. The ECML is really busy and contains the fast LNER and Thameslink trains going as fast as 140 mph.

@Anonymoususer_8823 3 месяца назад

I do miss the A14 flyover. It was so mesmerising before the new A14 bypass was built to take traffic away from Huntingdon. But it guess it looks lot better now than it was before.

@christopher9727 3 месяца назад

@henkmagnetic3103 3 месяца назад

Well presented.

@adamabele785 2 месяца назад

Cutting corner always works out for the building company. When the bridge only lasts 30 years instead of 50 to 70 years it is too late to demand compensation.

@cigmorfil4101 4 месяца назад

Thanks for explaining why when I visit Huntington the road just stops with a weird connect.

@mikejenson6406 4 месяца назад

Another amazing video with great research... Funny as always. Thank you

@MelanieRuck-dq5uo 4 месяца назад

What I like about Jon on these videos is that he is not a total, 100%, mental Clarkson-like, petrol-head and does taken in wider social and environmental concerns.

@zedainman 4 месяца назад

Liking the new sign in your office John! Plus great video, been hoping you’d do one on this

@aethanblake1856 4 месяца назад

I live in Huntingdon, the new bypass has helped it's made the town less of a bottleneck for many years it was a nightmare to go 20 miles to Cambridge some days would take 1 hour it was worse than driving in London and if there was an RTC it was even worse. As a driver its more simple to go around town even avoiding the ring road at some points to get to places like coming from Brampton going towards hartford you no longer need to go around the ring road you go up to the next left turning on the A1307 and go through the town centre on the 1 way street. Saving minutes and less stop start with the traffic lights.

@markbotfield3276 4 месяца назад

Classic excellent observation!! Keep me smiling 😁

@Kmc1qlAq8Dt6tpVC 4 месяца назад

You should do a video dedicated to this new A14. It was meant to be the A14(M) but to open it a few weeks earlier they decided not to make it a motorway. This was a really pointless thing IMO and required entirely new legislation to be implemented to enable an A road to have a variable speed limit, which this section of the A14 does. For some time after it opened it had "CAMERA NOT IN USE" signs under every gantry because the cameras weren't switched on. Kind of defeats the point of even having a camera as a detterent if you ask me if people know its not working.

@twocvbloke 4 месяца назад

I feel there needs to be an "art installation" at one of the roundabouts at the end of the old bypass, in the form of a trebuchet with a car strapped onto it, "No bridge? No problem!! We'll fling you across!"... :P

@clkb8277 4 месяца назад

Love the way you make your videos, my ADHD and Autism feel satisfied

@BruceDanton-xw6eg 3 месяца назад

So does mine too there.

@laydownlays 3 месяца назад

Demolition is nearly always as expensive as building something new

@mandymoo7406 4 месяца назад

Thanks for this,in 77 78 i used to come up the A10 and past the water tower up to the a1 via the american airbase but these last few years i was really confused as now everythibg is different,youve cleared it all up in a way i couldnt understand by going on google maps and trying to get my head round where the flyover was and the strange new road layout thats there now in its place

@adrianashby1033 3 месяца назад

we still get loads of older cars coming though HntGdn cos their sat navs haven't updated. The always end up near the train station or in Tesco car oark

@HenryAshman 4 месяца назад

I live nearby and it has upsides and downsides ditching the viaduct, biggest benefit is it makes access to the train station and hospital a lot easier as it's off the old A14 instead of having to go through the town proper. However it also makes it more of a pain to get to the northern or western side of the town, I end up on the new A14/A1 then coming back in from the west. Travelling through it the decision to whack a random roundabout on what's currently a left turn is a bit odd though, I presume something (probably houses) will get built off that eventually. Plus the routing between the station and the hospital is "fiddly" at best. The more annoying thing about the whole scheme is the 40mph speed limit on the dual carriageway approach to the old viaduct, it's done with temporary speed limit signs, but has been like that for best part of 4 years now, so they're starting to feel pretty permanent. Oh and side topic, the fact you can't head eastbound onto, or come off westbound from the new A14 at the Wood Green junction to the south of all this is a bizarre farce. If you want to go to Cambridge from Huntingdon, it's back down the old road.

@murphychris9811 4 месяца назад

this country does love to waste money

@AnotherPointOfView944 4 месяца назад

Somit had to be done about that 70's viaduct, one way or another.

@robinwells8879 4 месяца назад

But don’t we do it with style and panache! It takes real talent to get rid of money you know. Any way, plenty more where that came from. 😂

@borassictime918 4 месяца назад

Our self-serving civil servants love to waste other people’s money. It justifies the jobs they have.

@BromideBride 4 месяца назад

It's not wasted, it helps leading ceos and financial investors buy luxury goods and properties from other companies with financial investors and greasing contracts for further developments by leading ceos and financial investors 🔁🔃♾♻🔄

@dazzwsmith 4 месяца назад

@@BromideBridemethinks you've played this level before...

@Stuboi0 4 месяца назад

The new roundabout which was built where the northern end of the viaduct would have joined onto the old a14 is a bit, odd, but I think it opens up opportunities for any development. I visit Huntingdon regularly, traffic is so much better and prevents massive bottlenecks at Brampton Hut services and interchange. Still a bit weird how there is NO DIRECT SOUTHBOUND LINK from A14W to A1S and viseversa for A1N to A14E. Cars have to go up to the "new" Brampton Hut services, navigate the junction and double back. Corners cut...

@MrTobimale 4 месяца назад

I have a suggestion for a video if you're interested. The Kingskerswell bypass in South Devon, just outside of Newton Abbott. It took many years of planning to get it done, I do believe they started in the 90's to start and get it through. It was completed a few years ago. It's a good piece of engineering as it involves a flyover over a railway and a busy roundabout.

@andrewbatty8954 4 месяца назад

Yes, but is there anything wrong with it? If not then this guy has nothing to make a video of.

@ianross210 4 месяца назад

I suspect as it was literally falling down in the nineties and had considerable works completed to save it with long term temporary repairs left no options but to remove it. Only the 25+ years delay to the A14 gave it the stay of execution.

@cullercoatswebsite 4 месяца назад

Total information and well just, a great video

@SuperRobertwillis 4 месяца назад

More exciting than the previous vlog John how do you do it 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂❤

@ScottTooley 4 месяца назад

I left Huntingdon (and the whole country) in 2013 and still haven't been able to see all the changes. But my guess would be that this is an improvement for the town.

@fb19700101 4 месяца назад

A side effect will to be stopping as much traffic using the old A14 infrastructure as a rat-run through huntingdon. I expect part of the cost of removal was the requirement to keep the railway line operational pretty much throughout. It is the east coast main line after all.

@LastOnSunday 4 месяца назад

Why? Because lots of companies are suckling on the teet of the taxpayers.

@alanharvey7445 4 месяца назад

They had to remove it or replace it....they removed it and replaced it with a new bypass...if they had not removed it then it would have collapsed as it it knackered. So not for you reasons in the slightest. Maybe if you watch the video you would have known?

@LastOnSunday 4 месяца назад

@alanharvey7445 £46mil to remove a bridge seems a bit excessive. If you watched the video, you'd have seen that the new bypass was part of the new A14 £1.5bil scheme & the cost, just to remove the bridge, is another example of government agency overspend.

@timotheatae 4 месяца назад

@@LastOnSunday Those costs included all the roadworks, the new link roads, the roundabout, the wages for everyone involved and other nearby infrastructure. The new bypass was, as you said, over a billion. Relatively speaking, a few million to redo what is effectively a dual carriageway isn't that much, and each individual taxpayer paid mere fractions of a penny for the privilege of better roads.

@theonlywoody2shoes 4 месяца назад

A small point of order: the road you refer to at 3:53 as the A14 was actually called the A45 back then; and was only renumbered in 1994 after the A1-M1 link road section was opened.

@paulscottrobson 4 месяца назад

I think the A45 from Cambridge used to goto St Neots (A428) Higham Ferrers/Rushden (B645) then Wellingborough and Northampton north of the current A45 ? I used to go that way to my first job in Herefordshire 40 odd years ago, my parents lived in Norfolk (though even then you didn't go through Wellingborough and Earls Barton)

@danielcrud9345 4 месяца назад

Use to visit family nearby Huntingdon, and the Viaduct was a loud, polluting, ugly lump of concrete that cleaved through the town. I'm glad to see it gone, and the simple tac-ons that were installed were fine, excluding the pointless roundabout.

@ScottTooley 4 месяца назад

Agreed, the older I get, the more I notice the negative societal effects that these big roads likely caused when they sliced through the towns. I'm not in Huntingdon anymore, but I hope this removal does start to reconnect the ring road/High Street area with Hinchingbrooke and even Brampton.

@markjames6669 4 месяца назад

I use the A14 to often. But the new A14 is actually pretty good now compared to the old one . I’d say they’ve finally got it right . Possibly.

@PhilipMurphyExtra 4 месяца назад

Another good Wednesday of Transport content

@cp4512 4 месяца назад

Many people still cut through Huntingdon as it’s several miles shorter and just as quick as the much longer new road, but they’ve put a 40MPH limit on miles of the old empty dual carriageway to try and slow you down and discourage you from doing it! Feels ridiculous being kept at 40MPH on a nearly empty dual carriageway for the sake of ‘safety’ 😂

@paulscottrobson 4 месяца назад

You learn something every day. I didn't realise you could bridge the old A14/A604 link without going through the middle of Huntingdon. Must try that next time I'm that way.

@cp4512 4 месяца назад

@@paulscottrobson I’d avoid it 0800-0900 in the morning and around 1600-1730 evening rush periods as busy so recommend sticking to the new A14, but otherwise it’s very slick.

@Jonno180556ADI 4 месяца назад

I’ve explained elsewhere on this thread the reason for the 40mph limit. It’s actually legitimate but should have been resolved ages ago before the road was passed over to the council.

@QF_Flyer 4 месяца назад

Are the average speed cameras still there? If not then no worries!

@therealjpster 4 месяца назад

I live in St Ives (the proper one, not the one in Cornwall) next door and Huntingdon is much better off without it. Also, as a trunk road it used to be the Highways Agency’s (whatever they are now) problem but the road was detrunked in becoming the A1307 so the County Council would had suddenly have had the ongoing maintenance bill added to their budget.

@DonForceFeedback 4 месяца назад

I quite literally wondered this today, and a few hours later i'm watching this video.... please stop stalking my thoughts. Thank you.

@Lyallthetime 3 месяца назад

A new bypass to bypass the old bypass. I know of several other post-tensioned trapezoidal sectioned reinforced concrete sectioned viaducts have failed the test of time in other countries, not just UK. All of them had a similar problem - the actual installation never met the standards of the theoretical installation. It seems the theory just wasn't in lime with what was possible physically.

@ammej768 4 месяца назад

I saw it go up. It was constructed with indecent haste! I don't live in Huntingdon now, but the area looks a lot nicer without that monstrosity.

@brianmccusker3852 4 месяца назад

And for more laughs. Years ago Saturday Night Live did some skits about the different numbered routes taken to get from A to B. Titled The Californians I believe. Cheers from u.s.

@catthompson9444 4 месяца назад

I cannot get my timings driving from Peterborough to Cambridge right now. Having worked there for 2 years & commuted old A14 (travel times 37 minutes to 2 1/2 hours) my head tells me to leave 90 minutes for the journey. It now takes half that, or less so I keep arriving early.

@djsmithe 4 месяца назад

Omg! Your shirt had a pattern on it. You look marvelous. Absolutely marvelous! I could have demolished that bridge for half that price. I have an interesting friends.

@stevieandthebarbies 4 месяца назад

£46m is a bargain if you consider the cost of the viaduct collapsing on a Monday morning just as a train loaded with commuters approaches the station. And, yes, I know we don’t tend to go in for the catastrophic deck of cards bridge collapses that some countries do but we probably shouldn’t be leaving something just to see if we can!

@timsully8958 3 месяца назад

The sentimental sod in me does miss the old A14 but only in the sense that as we would be travelling up to Lincoln to visit the in-laws, the old concrete water tower thing would loom large as the road bent around to the right and indicated that we were mere minutes from the A1(M) which was a strange junction insofar as A14 traffic used to exit at the roundabout to join the next bit of A14 whereas staying on the main highway you were suddenly on the A1(M) for a short spur before joining the A1 proper 🙂 It was a pain for a few years as a section of a few miles either side of Cambridge Services was restricted to 40mph and the number of times we ended up having to divert from the normal, route for late night road works was annoying, and we got lost one night because some dickhead had stolen the diversion signs 🤣😂😅 I must admit though, the journey is so much better now from a driving perspective and the traffic is so much more free-flowing. It also helps when visiting my family in Wales by car, as there used to be lots of messing about with junctions, roundabouts and even traffic lights before the new scheme. Worth the money? Hard to gauge, though I suspect people on Huntingdon are glad for it and it solved the very real bottleneck issues, especially when you consider the original road had to deal with the traffic from both the A14 AND the M11 going north and west 🤔 Excellent video John, really informed and balanced view, plus excellent editing 😜 Have a wicked sweet awesome weekend 🍻💜

@shaun30-3-mg9zs 4 месяца назад

Hi Jon, great video a bit of a waste of good road , have a good one

@DavidShepheard 4 месяца назад

Leaving that bridge would have eventually resulted in a failure of the structure and people may have died. So it's good that the bullet was bitten and the solution has reduced the number of non-native people driving through Huntingdon. It is a bit of a shame to loose a useful corridor, though. Ideally the old bypass would be repurposed as a tram route, light rail route or metro line route, that can connect Huntingdon to places that are not currently accessible via the railway line. Where we have 1960s super-highways, that have punched through built up areas, we already have the land for a road corridor. And, if we want to get rid of pollution and car dependency, then moving the cars onto bypasses could allow for those dirty corridors to be turned into clean corridors that transit oriented development can be built around.

@Bobrogers99 4 месяца назад

I see the same problem in the US. When a bridge or other highway structure is poorly designed or not constructed properly, the contractors responsible rarely are required to fix the problems. The bridge deteriorates until it must be replaced, usually at great expense. The Romans did it better.

@toby.maximillian 4 месяца назад

The new a14 is so nice though!

@Generalwastebin 4 месяца назад

I live in Huntington and traffic only really gets bad at peak times or when there's a problem on the a14 (which is quite often)

@jeremywilliams5107 4 месяца назад

0:26 Dual carriageway planned for occasionally having a Mini rolling on it

@krayzkatman1990 Месяц назад

At this very moment the westbound 'new' A14 is down to a single lane with hour-long delays and 30 minute delays on the A1307 diversion route going into Huntingdon. Not only has a viable alternative been cut, a natural line to the A1 has been removed. Should the money have been spent on repairing the viaduct instead of upgrading the A1 between Brampton & Alconbury? OK the A428 is being upgraded unless our new anti-road chancellor is going to stop work but then A1 improvements between The Black Cat and Brampton will also be needed. No chance of that.

@chuzzley 4 месяца назад

Garage Talk? Ah, I see you are a gentleman of culture as well.

@MegaTube1313 4 месяца назад

The best thing to come out of Huntingdon Is the A14/1307 👍

@ldnwholesale8552 4 месяца назад

Well I guess that bridge did not fall down like the one in Italy. That too was similar reasons and it fell on a railway as well.

@rayhitchman4741 4 месяца назад

Another video that i can press a button specifically for liking it

@simontaylor2319 4 месяца назад

I would think John Major would be happy with the reduction in traffic. Who designed & built the bridge in the first place?

@docdeth904 4 месяца назад

A case where botched together seems superior to 20 planning councils and an army of consultants... go figure...

@nickhill2223 4 месяца назад

I did hear there was a lot of pressure building on the Contractors to get the new A14 built and open, as the Huntingdon viaduct was very rapidly reaching the end of it's useful life. In fairness I think the redesign of the A1/A14 sections at Brampton Hut have funnelled all through traffic away from Huntingdon, so the (now) A1307 is basically a back road for the Locals. Town Bridge is 7.5 tonne weight limit so no heavies can go that way anyway. The A421/A428 Black Cat to Caxton is proving interesting. Now the environmental mob have been told to piss off, work can actually begin, (and it has), but looking an expensive road to build, working out at £10 Million a Mile. Also seems when they built the new A421 from the M1 J13 through to the Black Cat, circa 2010ish, they didn't think they might want to continue it past the Black Cat so didn't build the Roxton Road Bridge wide enough or in the right place. There's also a small thatched cottage slightly North of the Black Cat which I believe is in the way, but cannot be knocked down.

@666okano 2 месяца назад

And that ladies and gentlemen is where your hard working 90% tax goes.

@roderickmain9697 4 месяца назад

On the plus side, if/when traffic gunges up central Huntingdon again, all you have to do is build a new viaduct and rejoin the roads. Job done.

@MrThingummy 4 месяца назад

But consider the new stretch of A14 was billed as built to "smart motorway" standards, being the link from M11 to A1(M). However the government dare not make it a Motorway after all the smart motorway accidents, and failed to give it automated gantry warnings (unlike on the M25) or hard sholder or enough emergency laybys, so its not to the safest standards.

@jamesabbott5242 4 месяца назад

Awesome Video

@robinwells8879 4 месяца назад

Ever since the new A14 upgrade my satnav keeps trying to take me on a wild goose chase to use it instead of joining the A1 at P’boro. Longer and slower but is adamant about it and gets really stroppy when I ignore it. 😂

@ggmtv1394 4 месяца назад

John for Minister of Transport!

@lukemoy5630 4 месяца назад

Can't speak to the viaduct days but post viaduct hardly see any traffic

@Andrewjg_89 4 месяца назад

Would of been ideal if the A14 went underground and beneath Huntingdon and not have the concrete flyover being built. Before it was knocked down and the A14 now bypass south of Huntingdon. Plus the junctions on the A14 need renumbering. Same with the M11 Motorway and the A12 that the junctions also needs renumbering.

@naebarebaked7564 4 месяца назад

I don't live in huntingdon but have drove through this area many times, and it does definately seem like an improvement, but whats the point in the roundabout at the north end of where the viaduct used to connect? maybe to make people slow down idk?

@tardismole 4 месяца назад

Ashame about the loss of farmland, but we won't bother about that, either. They could have solved this by replacing the bridge, saving both money and farmland.

@shanehumberstone5262 4 месяца назад

It’s amazing just how wasteful councils are with our money,imagine if it was their money,nothing would get built

@pebblesandwoowoo 4 месяца назад

What you have missed is the new fancy BAR HILL bridge, which has been a pain for drivers since day 1 as it was also not completed properly! Take one bridge out, put another shite one in! But now the links just take us to "the OLD A14" as we call it, and TF do people SPEED now it's not a main road. The care of the A-whatever it is now is non-existent, pot holes, signs on roads about large puddles "flooding." Hilarious F-ups!