The Biggleswade Town Council and Northill Parish Council joint working party following their meeting recently have released the following update:
1️⃣ Central Bedfordshire Council have not yet adopted the A1 Underpass as policy but have said that they remain committed to getting a safe crossing and are open-minded as to what this will be.
2️⃣The important first step is for a feasibility study for an underpass to be undertaken.
3️⃣Reliable sources have provided us with an initial estimated cost for an underpass of between £6m/£10m, although no detailed design or assessment of ground conditions has been carried out.
4️⃣A feasibility study could be undertaken using some of the funding that Central Bedfordshire Council receives annually from Active Travel England.
5️⃣In addition, a combination of government funding from the Active Travel England budget together with developer contributions, could cover a large proportion of the costs of construction.
6️⃣Getting an underpass was never going to be easy and it is not helped by the uncertainty around the future of the A1 in Bedfordshire – possible upgrades to the Biggleswade and Sandy roundabouts and the idea of a new town at Tempsford – but this uncertainty should not hold up our aim to secure a safe A1 crossing between Upper Caldecote and Biggleswade.
The Town Council and Northil Parish Council will continue to meet quarterly and have some initiatives planned for 2026 that we hope will bring the underpass closer to becoming a reality.