Brampton Hut interchange
| Brampton Hut Interchange | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Brampton, Cambridgeshire | |
| Coordinates | 52°19′58″N 0°14′55″W / 52.3327°N 0.2485°W |
| Roads at junction | |
| Construction | |
| Type | Roundabout interchange |
| Maintained by | National Highways |
The Brampton Hut interchange west of Huntingdon links the A1 and A14 trunk roads, and the A141 road which takes traffic into Huntingdon or towards Norfolk.
The A1 passes over a grade separated roundabout which provides access to a spur of the A14 west, which gives access, to the main A14 allowing travel to and from the west only. (This spur is occasionally mapped as an extension of A141.) Traffic on the A1(M) and A14 to and from the south and east uses continuous flow slip roads 2–4 miles south of Brampton Hut to link the A1(M) to the A14. Previously, traffic from the A14 East and wishing to travel north would have used the former A14, northern spur (now A141/A1307) to access the A1(M) at Alconbury, which is now intended for local traffic only.
Service station
The service station at Brampton Hut includes a BP Connect filling station and truck park, a Brewers Fayre restaurant, Premier Inn hotel, McDonald's, Starbucks, Subway, Burger King and Wendy's.
Access from the A14 needs planning as the services' entrance is inconveniently facing away from the A14, whereas access from the A1(M) is simple via Brampton Hut roundabout. From the South/East on the A14, it is necessary to take a parallel route on the A1(N) towards Huntingdon from J22 a few miles before the junction. Similarly travelling East signs for A141 Huntingdon are followed. Exits to all directions can be achieved from the rest area, with A14 eastbound traffic using the A1(M) south under the road before branching left onto the A14 for Felixtowe.
History
The junction is named after the Brampton Hut Hotel, which was demolished in 1990. Brampton Hut had earlier been known as Creamer's Hut, which was well known in coaching days certainly before 1816.[1] It was so called as it looked like a wooden hut on stilts.. There was an inclosure award on the parish in 1772.
The service station was opened in 1998, with hotels and restaurants gradually added over the next two decades. Traffic lights were added in 2006[2] to attempt to reduce the traffic jams on the A14 entering the junction from either side.
Reconstruction in 2016-9
The A14 Ellington to Fen Drayton section was largely completed by 2020,[3] the A14 was rerouted to pass south of Huntingdon and southwest of the current Brampton Hut junction, with links to the A1(M) and A141 from the junction. The former route that used to run right through the outskirts of Godmanchester and Huntingdon has been downgraded to a local road.[4] People living in Huntingdon had to endure numerous issues including the noise caused by the construction works and the effects that sleepless nights have on their private lives.[5]
References
- ^ "Brampton Hut, Brampton".
- ^ Highways Agency. "A1/A14 Brampton Hut Installation of Traffic Signals and Resurfacing". Archived from the original on 7 September 2008.
- ^ Everything you need to know about the A14 upgrade Cambridgeshire News 25 January 2018, retrieved 28 June 2019
- ^ Highways Agency. "A14 Ellington to Fen Ditton". Archived from the original on 31 January 2008.
- ^ 'A14 roadworks noise is keeping our kids up all night and ruining their education' Cambridgeshire News 23 June 2018, retrieved 28 June 2019