First published on 10 October 2024 as 'Whittlesey traffic update'. Last updated 7 July 2025.

Update 7 July:

The remedial work on the Ralph Butcher Causeway, at King’s Dyke, started as planned on Monday, 7 July.

Update 2 July:

The remedial work on the Ralph Butcher Causeway, at King’s Dyke, is on track to start as planned on Monday, 7 July.

The work will be carried out and completed with the existing single lane closure.

The first tasks will be setting up the compound, working area, and testing the soil nails, before the full remedial work begins.

Work will be carried out from the bottom of the embankment, so people may not be able to see work happening whilst driving along the current open lane. Please be assured the team are working, it just may be out of sight.

Update 18 June:

The remedial work on the Ralph Butcher Causeway, at King’s Dyke, is due to start on Monday 7 July.

There has been a lane closure in place since July 2024 due to cracking in the road. In May this year, the contractor, Jones Bros reported further cracks that had appeared in the road surface near the centre of the carriageway.

Regular monitoring is being carried out, which includes daily visual inspections and monitoring equipment.

Design options have been assessed, modelled and tested, and the proposed remedial work to address the issue has now been approved. The work will begin on Monday 7 July and will last 22 weeks, until 8 December.

The Ralph Butcher Causeway includes an embankment that sits between the new rail bridge and the new subway and is built up of reinforced earth that supports the carriageway. The remedial work will involve installing soil nails, which are steel tendons used to increase stability, into the embankment, starting from the bottom, and laying a concrete surface to the embankment to provide further stability.

The work will be carried out and completed with the lane closure remaining. A full road closure will not be required.

We are aware this work will take us through the autumn and winter period, and there have been issues with flood affected roads in the wider area. However, the works on the B1040 Dog in a Doublet bridge were completed last year, which has improved the resilience against flooding for this year.

Once the remedial work is complete, the road will fully re-open to two-way running. There will then be a period of settlement, around three months, before the carriageway is fully resurfaced as the final step.

The costs for the work are being fully met by Jones Bros. The council has not accepted ownership of the bridge until the remediation work is addressed and we're ensuring there is accountability and ownership by the contractors, Jones Bros.

Update 19 May:

The emergency lane closure on Ralph Butcher Causeway, due to cracking in the road, remains in place. Work on the design options for the required remedial work continues. Unfortunately, the start date for Jones Bros' remedial work has been delayed.

We had previously publicised they would commence in May and complete in September, subject to the necessary approvals. There has been additional work required to support the approvals process, and this has required modelling future scenarios, and extended the design period.

We have been advised the remedial work is still planned for over the summer, and we’ll provide a confirmed start date as soon as possible. Clearly this is disappointing, but it is essential the final design work is fully tested and approved, and a contractor is procured.

We will share more details on dates and the programme once we have the full details from Jones Bros. It remains the case that the work will be carried out and completed under a lane closure. A full road closure will not be required.

We apologise for the inconvenience.

Update 28 March:

Carriageway reconstruction work at Benwick Road, Whittlesey is complete. A burst water main had caused delays to the original schedule, however, this is now resolved. The works have been completed and the road is now fully reopen.

The emergency lane closure on Ralph Butcher Causeway, due to cracking in the road, remains in place. Work on the design options for the required remedial work continues.

We still plan to start work on site in May, subject to the necessary approvals, and it is anticipated the remedial work would be completed in September.

We will share more details on the programme once we have the full details from our contractor, Jones Bros. It remains the case that the work will be carried out and completed under a lane closure. A full road closure will not be required.

We apologise for the inconvenience.

Update 31 January:

Work is continuing at Benwick Road, Whittlesey, with the road set to re-open in early March 2025. This is slightly later than planned due to challenging ground conditions during construction. These works require a full road closure to allow for the road to be reconstructed and resurfaced. A signed diversion route is in place with access maintained for residents and businesses throughout the works.

The emergency lane closure on Ralph Butcher Causeway, due to cracking in the road, remains in place. The investigative work, including all the tests, have been completed. Jones Bros are considering a number of design options to finalise the preferred option for the required remedial work.

We plan to start work on site in May, subject to the necessary approvals, and it is anticipated the remedial work would be completed in September. We will be able to share more details on the programme once we have the full details from our contractor, Jones Bros. We’d like to reassure people, whichever option is chosen, it is currently anticipated that the work can be carried out and completed under a lane closure. A full road closure will not be required. We apologise for the inconvenience.

Update 18 December:

Work at Benwick Road, Whittlesey, is progressing well. These works require a full road closure to allow for the road to be reconstructed and resurfaced. The road closure will be in place until February 2025 with the road re-opening for the Christmas period between 19 December and 6 January to help ease the pressure in and around Whittlesey during the busier festive time. A signed diversion route will be in place with access maintained for residents and businesses throughout the works.

The emergency lane closure on Ralph Butcher Causeway remains in place, the investigative work has now finished. The samples are being analysed and the results are expected in the next few weeks. Jones Brothers are working on a design option, which we hope to review in January, at which point a firm programme for the remedial work required will be presented.

Further updates will continue to be shared, and we apologise for the inconvenience.

Update 22 November:

Programmed works to Benwick Road, Whittlesey, will commence on Monday (25 November) as planned. An emergency lane closure has been in place due to subsidence and its cracked and rutted condition – this is one of our soil affected roads.

These works will require a full road closure to allow for the road to be reconstructed and resurfaced. The road closure will be in place from 25 November until 20 February 2025 with the road re-opening for the Christmas period between 19 December and 6 January to help ease the pressure in and around Whittlesey during the busier festive time. A signed diversion route will be in place with access maintained for residents and businesses throughout the works.

The emergency lane closure on the Ralph Butcher Causeway remains in place whilst further investigative work continues. The results of these investigations will inform our next steps.

Further updates will continue to be shared and we apologise for the inconvenience.

Update 11 November:

The B1040 at East Delph is now fully open.

The work to repair and safely reopen the B1040 at East Delph was completed yesterday. Our contractors have been working around the clock to complete the necessary structural repairs where the bank had collapsed due to erosion. We’re pleased this work has been able to proceed ahead of schedule.

The emergency lane closure on the Ralph Butcher Causeway remains in place. Further investigative work is expected to commence this week (w/c 11 November). The result of these investigations will inform our next steps. We continue to work with our contractors to ensure the traffic management is operating effectively.

Programmed works on the Benwick Road emergency lane closure are planned to start on 25 November. These works will also require a full road closure and a diversion route will be in place.

Fixed signs are in place in Whittlesey and will continue to share updates on emergency closures and roadworks. Daily traffic information is available via One.network and @Cambs_Traffic on X.

Further updates will continue to be shared.

We apologise for the inconvenience these two lane closures continue to cause.

Update 25 October:

Since our last update, we’re pleased to confirm we have been able to bring forward the work to repair the B1040 at East Delph where a lane is closed after erosion had caused the bank to collapse.

Work on the structural repairs will start on Monday 28 October and is expected to finish on 22 November. The road will be fully closed during the works and a diversion route will be signposted.

The emergency lane closure of the Ralph Butcher Causeway remains in place and we will continue to work with our contractors to ensure that traffic management measures are operating effectively.

Programmed works on the Benwick Road emergency lane closure are planned to start in late November following on from the works on the B1040. These works will also require a full road closure and a diversion route will be in place.

Fixed digital signage in place in Whittlesey will continue to share updates on emergency closures and roadworks. Daily traffic information is available via One.network and @Cambs_Traffic on X.

Further updates will continue to be shared via www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/kingsdyke.

We apologise for the inconvenience these continuing lane closures cause.

Update 17 October:

Since sharing the above update, we have received a large number of enquiries from local residents who would like the temporary closure of the westbound lane of Ralph Butcher Causeway to be lifted.

For everyone’s safety - including road users and our contractors’ engineers as they continue their investigations – this is not possible.

Intrusive testing and monitoring is taking place as we seek to understand the cracking, movement and settlement issues with the Kings Dyke crossing.

The single westbound lane closure needs to remain in place for the foreseeable future. We will continue to monitor the situation and will put in place the most appropriate, safe traffic management for everyone's wellbeing, whilst we identify repairs.

East Delph is now open following recent flooding. One lane is closed due to the bank collapse.

Fixed digital signage in place in Whittlesey will continue to share updates on emergency closures and roadworks. Daily traffic information is available via One.network.

Further updates will continue to be shared via www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/kingsdyke.

We apologise for the inconvenience these lane closures cause.

Original article published 10 October:

We’d like to provide an update on the number of road closures in Whittlesey and explain the reasons. These are all in place for safety reasons to protect drivers in response to flooding events, and due to subsidence and surface issues which we are working to fully resolve.

There are three emergency road or lane closures currently in place. We’re working hard to minimise the disruption and apologise for the frustrations caused. We are continuing to monitor the impact on traffic and manage the flows as best as possible.

The westbound carriageway, heading to Peterborough, on the Ralph Butcher Causeway at King’s Dyke continues to have one lane temporarily closed while we assess and develop solutions to cracks that have appeared. We’re using two-way traffic lights whilst the lane closure remains in place as we fully investigate the cause of the cracking and what repair work is needed. Until we have undertaken the necessary repair work, the lane closure will remain in place.

Alongside the emergency closure of the Ralph Butcher Causeway, a lane closure was in place in Whittlesey at East Delph (B1040) due to erosion, which has subsequently been subject to a full closure due to flooding. Today, we have heard from the Environment Agency that the levels are dropping and, after the carriageway has been swept, the gates may be open today or tomorrow, subject to the water levels. Once open, there will still be a lane closure in place. We will be carrying out substantial structural repairs which we are working with the contractor to programme as quickly as possible.

There is also an emergency lane closure on Benwick Road due to subsidence and its cracked and rutted condition – this is one of our soil affected roads. Programmed works will start on this road in late November. This will require a full road closure and involve full reconstruction and resurfacing of the road. Works will conclude at the end of January after which point the road can safely open.

We understand people’s frustrations, but these closures are in place for safety reasons and would urge drivers not to ignore the warning signs. We are continuing to work with our contractors on accelerating the repair work needed as quickly as possible and they are also manually operating the traffic lights at King’s Dyke and Benwick Road, so we can keep traffic moving where possible during peak hours.

We will continue to provide updates, please follow @Cambs_Traffic and signs are in place to help drivers plan in advance and follow alternative routes.