When completed in 2020, the 21-mile long improvements will cut journey times by up to 22 minutes and free up the flow of goods toward the strategically important ports of Felixstowe and Harwich.

As LSH’s Roads to Riches report highlighted back in 2014, this improved capacity will help to unlock over 20 ha of potential employment land, including the Alconbury Weald Enterprise Zone, Brampton and the area around Cardinal Distribution Park in Godmanchester.

Steve Williams, National Head of Industrial and Logistics at Lambert Smith Hampton, said: “Infrastructure investment of the kind that we’ve seen along the A14 is central to the continued success of the economy.  This area that has a long-standing reputation for delays and these works, when completed, will radically enhance the area to investors and occupiers.

“There’s a lot at stake here.  While A14 improvements will be a boon for regional economy, it could also help to kick-start a broader upgrade of the UK’s road network, demonstrating to decision makers that highway investment represents a productive use of scarce public funds.”