Cambridgeshire: world's longest guided busway opening?

Not quite yet. But a new Cambridge to Huntingdon link is vital to avoid A14 conjestion.

The BBC reports Cambridgeshire County Council (CCC) is taking over control of a £116m busway project connecting Cambridge with St Ives. The project is already two years' late, and CCC wants it finished fast.  It'll be the longest guided busway on the planet, claims Steve Fox, CEO of BAM Nuttall which is building it. The remainder (into the City of Cambridge itself, and the St Ives - Huntingdon section) will involve on-road bus routes.  The total project cost will top £180m, according to Hunts Post.

The route will enable travellers to avoid driving along the dreadfully conjested A14, one of England's deadliest roads.  

A new town of 9,500 houses called Northstowe to be sited 8 km north of Cambridge can't get off the ground until both the A14 has been widened and the busway constructed.  Northstowe will be "an exemplar of sustainability in the use of renewable energy resources and reducing carbon emissions" professed Yvette Cooper in 2008 when a minister in the last Labour government.

So much depends on finishing this problematic busway, construction on which began in March 2007.  "BAM Nuttall now has 28 days to complete any outstanding work", notes the BBC.  With building costs rising as fast as commuters' frustrations, will the project takeover by the Council boost the builders' performance?

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