A1(M) Junctions 14 to 17: Alconbury to Peterborough
This short section, 12.84 miles, runs through the Cambridgeshire countryside from Alconbury to Peterborough. It connects with no other motorway. Reports for this section are shown below.
The junctions on this section
- Junction 14, Alconbury — the A1307 for Huntingdon and St Ives, and the B1043 for the Alconburys and the Stukeleys. South of here the road is the A1, which meets the A14 at Brampton.
- Junction 15 — the B1043 for Sawtry and the B660 for Ramsey, with Sawtry services.
- Junction 16, Norman Cross — the A15 for Yaxley and the B1043 for Stilton.
- Junction 17 — the A1139 for Peterborough, the A47 for Wisbech and the A605 for Oundle and Northampton, with Peterborough services. The motorway ends here and the road continues north as the A1.
A section built to a high standard
Lord Whitty officially opened this section on 31/10/1998. It was built with four lanes in each direction for 8 miles, from Junction 14 to Junction 16 at Norman Cross, and three lanes in each direction on the rest. It is managed by Road Management Services (Peterborough) under a design, build, finance and operate contract with National Highways.
How busy is this section?
| Stretch | All vehicles | Lorries | Share lorries |
|---|---|---|---|
| A1 to the start of the motorway at J14 | 63,915 | 8,512 | 13.3% |
| J14 to J16 | 75,975 | 10,307 | 13.6% |
| J16 to J17 | 84,283 | 10,355 | 12.3% |
| J17 to the A1 at Orton Southgate | 34,347 | 6,660 | 19.4% |
© A1MTraffic.co.uk · Statistics from the Department for Transport
The Department for Transport counts Junctions 14 to 16 as one 15 km stretch, so Junction 15 at Sawtry has no separate figure. Traffic builds towards Peterborough and then drops by well over half at Junction 17, where most drivers leave for the city and the A47. Lorries are around one vehicle in eight here, more than twice the Hertfordshire share.
Peterborough by road
Junction 16 serves the south of the city via the A15, and Junction 17 leads onto Fletton Parkway, the A1139. Peterborough United’s own directions to its London Road ground start from Junction 17.
Beyond this section
South of Junction 14 and north of Junction 17 the road is the A1; see A1 traffic news and the A1 route guide. For the A14 and A47, see Traffic News England. Previous section: Junctions 1 to 10. Next: Junctions 34 to 38.
Traffic count figures on this page are from the Department for Transport road traffic statistics, 2025.
Live traffic news at A1(M) Junctions 14 to 17
This is the news for Junctions 14 to 17 only, not the whole A1(M). For the rest of the motorway see all the latest A1(M) traffic news, the overhead signs and the speed limits in force now.
Updated 04:47 (4:47am) Tue 10 Nov 2026