View source for A421 road

{{Short description|East-west road in southern England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2025}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2013}}
{{Infobox road
|country=GBR
|type=A
|route=421
|length_mi=44.4
|image=The A421 - geograph.org.uk - 337990.jpg
|image_notes=The A421 looking towards [[Buckingham]] from Maywynn Farm.
|direction_a= East
|terminus_a = [[A1 road (Great Britain)|A1]] [[Black Cat roundabout]] near [[St Neots]]
|direction_b= West
|terminus_b = [[A43 road|A43]] near [[Brackley]]
|junction   = <!-- National primary roads only -->
{{jct|country=GBR|A|1|name1= }}<br />
{{jct|country=GBR|A|6|name1= }}<br />
{{jct|country=GBR|M|1|name1= }}[[Image:Junction 13.svg|1000x20px]]<br />
{{jct|country=GBR|A|4146|name1= }}<br>{{jct|country=GBR|A|5|name1= }}<br />
{{jct|country=GBR|A|43|name1= }}
|destinations= [[Bedford]]<br/>[[Milton Keynes]] <!-- "Green sign" destinations only -->
|previous_type = A
|next_type = A
|previous_route = 420
|next_route = 422
}}

The '''A421''' is an important road for east/west journeys across south central [[England]].  Together with the [[A428 road|A428]], the [[A43 road|A43]] and [[A34 road (England)|A34]], it forms the route from [[Cambridge]] through [[Milton Keynes]] to [[Oxford]].  The section between the [[A1 road (Great Britain)|A1]] (near [[St Neots]]) and the [[A5 road (Great Britain)|A5]] (in [[Milton Keynes]]) is a national [[primary route]].

==Route==
The road begins at the [[A1 road (Great Britain)|A1]], just south of [[St Neots]] (and the junction with the [[A428 road|A428]] from Cambridge), at the [[Black Cat roundabout]]. The road bypasses both [[Great Barford]] and [[Bedford]] to the south to reach the [[M1 motorway|M1]] at junction 13. From there, it swings up through the southern part of [[Milton Keynes]], doubling as the local grid road [[H8 Standing Way]]. During this time it crosses the [[A5 road (Great Britain)|A5]] (and connects to it via a short spur which is part of the [[V6 Grafton Street]]).

Continuing westwards, as the route approaches [[Buckingham]] the road passes close by to the 14th century [[Thornborough Bridge]], the only surviving mediaeval bridge in [[Buckinghamshire]] which was bypassed by the new bridge in 1974. Close to here, it then forms the Buckingham by-pass before joining the [[A43 road|A43]] ([[Northampton]] {{ndash}} [[M40 motorway|M40]] junction 10) near [[Brackley]]. (On crossing the A43, the route due westward becomes the [[B4031 road|B4031]] through [[Croughton, Northamptonshire|Croughton]], [[Aynho]] and [[Deddington]] to join the [[A361 road|A361]] to [[Chipping Norton]]).

The section from the A1 to the M1 is dual carriageway and fully grade-separated, with the section between Bedford and the M1 completed in December 2010,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/road-projects/a421-bedford-to-m1-junction-13/ |title=A421 Bedford to M1 Junction 13 |website=highways.gov.uk |year=2011 |access-date=14 December 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131215222624/http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/road-projects/a421-bedford-to-m1-junction-13/ |archive-date=15 December 2013 }}</ref> winning the [[British Construction Industry Awards|British Construction Industry Award]] in 2011.<ref>{{cite web |url =http://www.bciawards.org.uk/365666 |title =Winners 2011 |website =bciawards.org.uk |year=2011 |access-date=14 December 2013 }}</ref>

As of October 2020, the section from junction 13 of the M1 to the south-western flank of Milton Keynes is a dual carriageway. Upon leaving Milton Keynes, the section of road to the A43 is a single carriageway, with the exception of the bypass around [[Tingewick]]

== Developments ==

===M1 junction 13 to Milton Keynes ===
In conjunction with the [[M1 motorway#Recent developments|M1 widening schemes]] and dualling of the A421 between M1 junction 13 and the A1 near St Neots (see above), proposals were made to widen the A421 between the M1 junction 13 in Bedfordshire and the Kingston roundabout in Milton Keynes.<ref name=SEERA1>
{{cite web
 |url=http://www.southeast-ra.gov.uk/documents/factsheet/03.pdf
 |archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20100702205428/http://www.southeast-ra.gov.uk/documents/factsheet/03.pdf
 |url-status=dead
 |archive-date=2 July 2010
 |title=A421 Milton Keynes to M1 
 |publisher=[[South East England Regional Assembly]] 
 |access-date=22 July 2009 
}}</ref> Exhibitions were held in June 2005 which rejected proposals to re-route the road in favour of widening the current road. In 2005 the project was given an estimated total cost of £33{{nbsp}}million.<ref name="BLTP1">
{{Cite web |url=http://bedfordshire.gov.uk/ltp/section_15.html |title=Bedfordshire Local Transport Plan 2006/07 – 2010/11 – Major projects |publisher=Bedfordshire County Council |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305233217/http://bedfordshire.gov.uk/ltp/section_15.html |archive-date=5 March 2016 |url-status=dead |access-date=9 December 2008}}</ref>

Funding of £23.5{{nbsp}}million was confirmed by the government for these works, as part of the [[South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership]] "Local Growth Deal".<ref>{{cite news|title=£23.5million project unveiled to upgrade A421 to dual carriageway |url=http://www.miltonkeynes.co.uk/news/local/23-5million-project-unveiled-to-upgrade-a421-to-dual-carriageway-1-6161006|work =Milton Keynes Citizen |access-date=27 January 2015 |date=7 July 2014}}</ref> As part of the government's [[Traffic bottleneck|pinch point]] reduction programme, in 2014 work commenced on the A421 in Milton Keynes to improve the Kingston roundabout, and dual the section from it to (near) the Bedfordshire border, with the construction of two new roundabouts on the route. The road corridor includes a separate [[cycleway]].<ref name="Citizen 141220" />

The upgrade work for this final phase of the plan, the section running from junction 13 to [[Eagle Farm, Milton Keynes|Eagle Farm]] roundabout, started in September 2018 and was completed in December 2020.<ref name="Citizen 141220">{{cite news| title= Multi-million pound project improving road link between Bedford and Milton Keynes complete | url= https://www.miltonkeynes.co.uk/news/transport/multi-million-pound-project-improving-road-link-between-bedford-and-milton-keynes-complete-3067197 | author= Logan MacLeod | date= 14 December 2020 | access-date= 14 December 2020 | work = [[Milton Keynes Citizen]]}}</ref>

===A1{{ndash}}M11/A14 link===
{{more|Black Cat roundabout}}
In the "Road investment strategy" announced to Parliament by the [[Department for Transport]] and [[Secretary of State for Transport]] on 1 December 2014, planning would begin to dual the section between the [[A1 road (Great Britain)|A1]] and the [[A1198 road|A1198]] at [[Caxton Gibbet]].<ref name="Road Upgrade 1">{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/major-roads-investment-in-the-east-of-england|title=The east of England gets a £1.5 billion investment in its roads as part of the new 'Road investment strategy'. 1 December 2014}}</ref> The link is to provide an uninterrupted dual carriageway route between the [[M1 motorway|M1]] (at junction 13) and the M11/A14 (at junction 14 and 31) near Cambridge.<ref name="Road Upgrade 1" />

In September 2021, National Highways announced that this new section of dual carriageway will be designated A421.<ref>{{cite press release | title=National Highways announces new road numbers for A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet scheme |date=16 September 2021 |author=[[Highways England]] |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/national-highways-announces-new-road-numbers-for-a428-black-cat-to-caxton-gibbet-scheme }}</ref> The announcement does not say whether the section between the A1198 and the A14/M11 junction will also be renumbered, which would create a single designation for the entire route between the two motorways.

In December 2023, work began on the new alignment, which replaces the roundabout with a three-level [[grade-separated junction]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Skanska begins work on £1bn 16km dual carriageway for A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet |work=New Civil Engineer |url=https://www.newcivilengineer.com/latest/skanska-begins-work-on-1bn-16km-dual-carriageway-for-a428-black-cat-to-caxton-gibbet-13-12-2023/ |date=13 December 2023 |first=Thomas |last=Johnson}}</ref>

===Oxford–Cambridge Expressway===
{{main|Oxford–Cambridge Expressway}}
The Oxford to Cambridge Expressway was a proposed grade-separated dual carriageway between the [[A34 road|A34]] near [[Oxford]] and the [[A14 road (England)|A14]] near [[Cambridge]], via (or near) Milton Keynes. The proposal aimed to establish this route by linking existing roads and building new ones. The case for its creation was examined in a Strategic Study for the [[Cambridge – Milton Keynes – Oxford corridor]], published by [[National Infrastructure Commission]] in November 2016.<ref name="Stage 3 Report">{{cite web|title=Oxford to Cambridge expressway strategic study: stage 3 report|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/571353/oxford-to-cambridge-expressway-strategic-study-stage-3-report.pdf|publisher=UK Department for Transport|access-date=3 August 2017|language=en|date=28 November 2016}}</ref> The NIC saw the road as being of national strategic importance by providing an outer orbital route around [[London]], linking [[Southampton]], the [[M3 motorway (Great Britain)|M3]], [[M4 motorway|M4]], [[M40 motorway|M40]], [[M1 motorway|M1]], [[A1 road (England)|A1]], [[A14 road (England)|A14]]/[[M11 motorway|M11]] and [[Felixstowe]]. Had this plan been realised, it would have replaced the current congested single carriageway road between [[West Bletchley]] and the [[A43 road|A43]].

In March 2021, Transport Secretary [[Grant Shapps]] cancelled the plan, citing analysis that showed that its costs would exceed its benefits.<ref>{{cite web|date=18 March 2021|title=Oxford to Cambridge expressway project cancelled as Transport Secretary looks to alternative plans for improving transport in the region|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/oxford-to-cambridge-expressway-project-cancelled-as-transport-secretary-looks-to-alternative-plans-for-improving-transport-in-the-region|url-status=live|access-date=18 March 2021|publisher=gov.uk|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210318100626/https://www.gov.uk/government/news/oxford-to-cambridge-expressway-project-cancelled-as-transport-secretary-looks-to-alternative-plans-for-improving-transport-in-the-region |archive-date=18 March 2021 }}</ref>

==Notable events==

===Speeding===
The A421 [[Tingewick]] bypass has a minor claim to fame as the location of the then fastest speeding incident ever recorded by British police, in March 2003.<ref name="TVP2003">{{cite web |title=Thames Valley Police annual report 2003-04 |url=http://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/news_info/planning/pdf/ar2003-04.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061001164329/http://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/news_info/planning/pdf/ar2003-04.pdf |archive-date=1 October 2006 |access-date=21 July 2006 |website=Thames Valley Police}}</ref> Andrew Osborne, 31, of [[Leamington Spa]], was filmed by a mobile [[speed camera]] while travelling at {{convert|157|mph}} on a motorcycle.  His friend Neil Bolger, 30, of [[Gaydon]], was clocked at {{convert|148|mph}}.  Both were convicted of dangerous driving, imprisoned for 28 days and banned from driving for two years (with a compulsory re-test).<ref name=TVP2003 />

===Blind driver===
[[Blindness|Blind]] Martine Brooks drove along the newly constructed A421 [[Great Barford]] Bypass (From the [[A1 road (Great Britain)|A1]] Black Cat roundabout to [[Bedford]]) and back to raise money for charity.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Highways Agency |url=http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/documents/M060107_Web_Page.pdf |title=A421 Great Barford Bypass Third Newsletter – August 2006 |access-date=29 December 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605134549/http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/documents/M060107_Web_Page.pdf |archive-date=5 June 2011 }}</ref> The drive took place two days before the official road opening, and she was accompanied by Frank Branston (mayor of Bedford), Steve Clarke (teacher and navigator), and Denise Hubbard (driving instructor and car owner).
She reached a speed of {{cvt|65|mph}} before doing a flawless three point turn, and returning to the [[A1 road (Great Britain)|A1]].

=== Flooding ===
On 22 September 2024, the section of the A421 between The [[A6 road (England)|A6]] in Bedford and junction 13 of the M1 near [[Marston Moreteyne]]  was heavily flooded after a months worth of rain fell in under 48{{nbsp}}hours. The road was closed in both directions for more than two weeks after which the road reopened in one direction following successful pumping of more than 70{{nbsp}}million{{nbsp}}litres of water and some resurfacing of the badly damaged road surface. On 7 October 2024, the westbound carriageway reopened with a temporary {{cvt|40|mph}} speed limit and only one of the two lanes open to traffic. Three days later on 11 October, the Eastbound carriageway reopened only one lane out of two reopened this had speed restrictions in place. The following weekend 15 and 16 September, National Highways carried out further safety checks requiring the road to be closed in on the Westbound Side from 20:00 Saturday to 06:00 Sunday, and on the eastbound side from 20:00 Sunday to 06:00 Monday. After safety checks were completed the road reopened in both directions with both lanes at the national speed limit. Further weekend closures took place to replace the failed pumping station on the section of road that flooded. These started in March 2025 and are due to be completed in July 2025. The pump failed after being submerged under water as a result of the flooding.<ref>{{Cite web |date=23 September 2024 |title=Watch: A421 submerged by flood water in Bedfordshire |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/c5ywxnl89exo |access-date=29 June 2025 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=25 September 2024 |title=A421 flooding: Tankers brought in after pumping station floods |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c20j9xyw558o |access-date=29 June 2025 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref>

On 17 October, Blake Stephenson MP for Mid Bedfordshire, the constituency in which the flooded road is in raised significant questions about the design of the pumping station on the flooded section of the A421.<ref>{{Cite web |date=11 October 2024 |title=Severely flooded A421 Bedfordshire road fully reopens |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy5y2l2wg7vo |access-date=29 June 2025 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=17 October 2024 |title=A421 Bedford: 'Significant questions' about design of flooded road |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3vk4lgrxz9o |access-date=29 June 2025 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{commons category inline|A421 road (England)}}

{{GB A road zone 4}}
{{Transport in Buckinghamshire}}
{{Transport in Bedfordshire}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:4-0421}}
[[Category:Roads in England]]
[[Category:Roads in Oxfordshire]]
[[Category:Roads in Buckinghamshire]]
[[Category:Roads in Milton Keynes]]
[[Category:Roads in Bedfordshire]]
[[Category:Roads forming part of the Milton Keynes grid road system]]