National Highways has apologised after motorists were left stranded for up to seven hours on Saturday (5 July) after a combination of planned roadworks, faulty traffic signals and confusing diversion signage brought the Black Cat roundabout and surrounding roads to a standstill.
The A1 northbound between the Black Cat and Wyboston closed on Friday (4 July). It will remain closed until 5am on Monday (7 July) to allow Anglian Water to connect new water mains and install a temporary safety barrier.
National Highways had also planned additional works to prepare for the construction of a new flyover bridge and lowering of the A1 as part of the £1bn upgrade project, which is due to begin on Tuesday (8 July).
Read: Drivers stuck for hours on A421 and A1 after traffic chaos at Black Cat roundabout
However, as traffic increased through Saturday morning, drivers quickly found themselves at a near standstill on the A421 eastbound and A1 approaches, with little to no information about what was happening or how long the delays would last.
Bedfordshire Police said they were aware of the gridlock and had been liaising with National Highways throughout the day. Officers eventually intervened later in the evening to help manage the backlog.
National Highways issued an apology in a Facebook post at 10pm, saying: “We understand the frustration and inconvenience this caused to those affected, and we are reviewing the circumstances to help ensure this situation is not repeated.”
They confirmed in the same post, almost 12 hours after problems began, that they were also in the process of “closing the eastbound entry slips at both Cardington and Renhold Interchanges to help reduce the volume of traffic joining the A421”.
‘Blatantly lied to’
For many, though, the apology fell short.
Speaking to the Bedford Independent, Helen Wheatley described her ordeal travelling south on the A421.
“We joined the road at about 12pm, expecting to be in Essex around 2pm for a family party. I texted family at 12.31pm to say we’d be a bit late. We got to the Black Cat at 7pm.”
Helen said she called National Highways twice for updates, only to be told “traffic is moving” and “you’ll be through the works soon”, even though she was barely crawling forward.
“It was pretty galling to be blatantly lied to by the people in charge,” she said.
“We were told it was motorists ignoring closures or breakdowns in the queue, none of which was true. There were no signs, no police controlling traffic, no help at all.
“The only police presence we saw were two officers standing on a bridge for 10 minutes, then driving off.”
She described seeing no signs warning of the A1 northbound closure on her approach and nothing to divert traffic away from the area.
Even once stuck on the roundabout, lanes were unexpectedly closed without warning, forcing drivers to merge at the last second.
“At 7 pm, the queue still stretched back. One closed road surely couldn’t have caused this. We assumed it must have been an accident at first,” she added.
Another motorist, Isobel Frost, told this newspaper, “It was carnage, there was road rage, tired and impatient drivers not wanting to let people merge when it got to the single lane and not being let onto the roundabout. Utterly shambolic.”
‘Outrageous’ and ‘abysmal’
Many other drivers echoed their frustration on social media.
One said: “Outrageous doesn’t even come close. I have an invoice ready for the five hours of work I missed sitting in that queue.”
Another wrote: “We were just trying to get home after a night shift. A journey that should take 20 minutes took more than five hours. Parents were walking to service stations to get food for their kids. Abysmal.”
Others questioned why National Highways didn’t act sooner to close slip roads and divert vehicles away from the backlog or why the promised “widely publicised” closure was not more clearly signed.
One driver stuck for six hours called the experience “totally unacceptable”, saying: “There was no information, no monitoring, no plan. Just people left to sit in their cars with no explanation. We need more than an apology.”
Police response
Bedfordshire Police confirmed their officers eventually intervened after it became clear National Highways was unable to resolve the situation.
A spokesperson said: “We appreciate how difficult it must have been for those stuck in the traffic for such a long time, which was unacceptable.”
“Once it was established National Highways were unable to fix the issue, our traffic officers intervened to allow the vehicles stuck on the A421 to flow.
“Officers have remained at the site overnight to manage any further issues while National Highways work to fix the problem.”
National Highways have also agreed to turn off the lights on Sunday; “therefore, drivers will need to follow the Highway Code at this junction,” added the police spokesperson.
The police said they will seek a full debrief with National Highways to prevent a repeat of the chaos.
The Bedford Independent has requested an interview with National Highways to ask how this happened, why road closed signage wasn’t installed, why the slip roads weren’t closed as soon as a problem became apparent, and why motorists contacting them were told that traffic was moving.
They have yet to respond to our request.
Latest travel advice
The A1 northbound between Black Cat and Wyboston remains closed until 5am Monday (7 July). Entry slips at Cardington and Renhold are also closed to reduce pressure on the A421.
Drivers are advised to use the A603 towards Sandy to join the A1, or follow the signed diversion via Tempsford, St Neots Road, and the A428 westbound back to Wyboston.
Motorists should allow extra time and check live updates before travelling.
