A fresh call has been made to build a bypass around the A10 level crossing in Foxton, as a councillor said people wait so long at the barriers they could "read a newspaper".

Discussions about building a bypass bridge and closing the level crossing on the busy road have been taking place for years.

In 2015 the ‘Foxton level crossing and interchange’ was included on a list of priority projects as part of the City Deal discussions, which later became the Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP).

In 2018 the GCP combined the A10 level crossing bypass scheme with plans to build a travel hub in the village as well.

However, the next year the projects were split, with the level crossing bypass being passed over to the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority.

In 2019 the Combined Authority chose to prioritise building the A605 Kings Dyke level crossing bridge instead of the Foxton project, which was dropped.

The GCP also later paused the plans to build the Foxton travel hub due to a lack of money to complete all its projects.

At a meeting of the Combined Authority’s transport and infrastructure committee this week (Monday, November 4), Councillor Peter McDonald, from South Cambridgeshire District Council, asked for the Foxton level crossing bypass project to be looked at again.

He raised the point during a discussion over plans to look at the problems being faced along the A10 corridor between Cambridge and Ely and try to find ways to improve it.

Cllr McDonald said he welcomed the update on the project, but highlighted it only looked at the A10 to the north of Cambridge.

He said people were also facing issues using the A10 to the south of the city.

Cllr McDonald said the “poor residents” in Foxton had been asking for a level crossing bridge for years.

He said anybody joining the queue at the level crossing when the barriers were down faced long waits and could even “read a newspaper” while waiting.

Cllr McDonald asked if the project could be looked at again by the Combined Authority in the future.

Councillors also welcome moving forward with plans looking at ways to improve Ely to Cambridge corridor.

A report said a strategic review had been undertaken of the plans for the Ely to Cambridge Corridor Study and set out a timeline for further reviews and work.

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It said: “Looking ahead, depending on the options taken forward, the A10 scheme is expected to offer significant opportunities to support the vision outlined in the draft Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Local Transport and Connectivity Plan.

“The scheme aims to foster a future where transport plays a key role in underpinning sustainable economic growth and enhancing the quality of life for residents, enabling the region and its people to thrive.”

Councillor Anna Smith, Deputy Mayor and representative from Cambridge City Council, said any work on the corridor needed to consider the impact on the Milton Interchange junction.

She said they could not “simply move traffic to a junction that is not able to cope with it”.