A14 traffic jam detectors fitted

Work to install new traffic jam-busting technology on the A14, which links Felixstowe Port in Suffolk to the East Midlands, has begun.

Fibre optic cables are being laid by the Highways Agency to provide real-time traffic information to 72 electronic overhead signs.

The equipment will detect slow-moving or stationary traffic and update the signs to warn drivers.

Forty-nine CCTV cameras are also being fitted along the route.

The technology will be ready to go live by next summer and will reduce rear-end shunts and improve response times to accidents, the Highways Agency said.

'Smooth traffic'

All work will be carried out overnight with lane, slip and lay-by closures at various locations as work progresses.

Phil Gomm, of the RAC Foundation, said motorists were "sick and tired" of traffic jams on roads like the A14.

"Stop-start motoring leads to bunching and congestion and anything that can be done to smooth traffic flow has to be welcomed," he said.

"Drivers want consistently reliable journey times and this technology should help."

The scheme received £90m in government funding last year, but would now cost £70m after those who tendered for the work came in at a lower price, the Highways Agency added.