£15m bypass plan for Ely

If the public support the route an application will be made for funding

A multi-million pound bypass is being planned to help reduce congestion in an historic Cambridgeshire city.

The proposed £15m road would divert traffic away from the centre of Ely along a new route south of the city.

The route, which will be put forward for public consultation, would start from Angel Drove, north of the Cambridgeshire Business Park.

It would then cross both the railway and river before heading north-east to join the A142 on the Ely side of the allotments.

The road already has backing from local councils and the public will get the chance to have their say on the scheme in November.

Improved journey times

Cambridgeshire county councillor John Powley said the route was the most economically viable of all the options and the only one which had a realistic chance of attracting government funding.

He said: "It would cost around £15m and would reduce congestion on Angel Drove and Station Road, improve the environment in that part of Ely, improve the reliability of journey times on the A142 and improve road safety."

Fellow county councillor Philip Read added: "We believe the southern bypass is much needed but we need to be sure that local people agree with us."

The plans, which have the backing of East Cambridgeshire District Council and Cambridgeshire County Council, will be put forward for funding is they find support with the public.