These two sections alone are worth £600m.

The entire improvement scheme has been broken down into development – detailed design and pre-construction – and delivery phases, with construction split into four packages of work.

A £35.5m detailed design contract has been also been secured by an Atkins CH2M joint venture. The initial award is for the development phase at a value of £19.6m. Once the scheme is given the go ahead, the joint venture will provide £15.7m worth of design support and site assurance services.

Highways England has still to award the two remaining construction packages.

The third main highways element consisting of widening the existing A14 from Swavesey to Milton is being re-tendered and is due to be awarded in the summer.

The fourth package to demolish the viaduct over the East Coast Mainline at Huntingdon and associated works will be tendered in 2019.

Initial design work can now start straightaway. Subject to the Transport Secretary’s final consent, the proposed scheme is on target for main construction work to start in late 2016. The new bypass and widened A14 would open to traffic in 2020.

The project is the first to be awarded under Highways England’s Construction Delivery Framework.

Chris Taylor, director for complex infrastructure at Highways England, leading the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon improvement scheme, said: “We have raised the standards we expect from our supply partners – we expect quality of performance and for them to work collaboratively to deliver the excellence that our customers and stakeholders expect of us.

“We continue to be committed to working closely with our framework suppliers to ensure our expectations are clear and well understood.”

Stretching over 25 miles, the works will improve this highly congested stretch of road. The proposed improvement scheme will involve a new major bypass between Swavesey and Brampton, widening the A1 between Brampton and Alconbury, widening the existing A14 between Swavesey and Milton, improving the junctions at Bar Hill, Swavesey, Girton, Histon and Milton, Huntingdon Town Centre improvements, to include the demolition of the viaduct, and a new local access road.