Dutch-style roundabout in Cambridge is £1m over budget

Work to install one of the UK's first Dutch-style roundabouts is £1m over budget - and will overrun by three months, a council confirmed.

The roundabout - which gives priority to cyclists and pedestrians - is being built at Fendon Road, Cambridge.

Council officials blamed the extra cost on underground cabling issues, including adding "700m of new ducting".

Sam Davies, of Smarter Cambridge Transport, said the county council had "not been very transparent".

The new roundabout is being installed at the junction of Queen Edith's Way, one of the main access routes to Addenbrooke's Hospital.

Excavations began on the £800,000 project in September, with work expected to finish by April.

The delay and extra cost were revealed at a Cambridgeshire County Council area committee meeting on Monday evening.

Campaigner Ms Davies, who is also chair of the Queen Edith's community forum, said the delays had added to poor air quality, noise pollution - and increased local rat runs.

She said the area had recently experienced delays with the installation of new cycleways on Hills Road, also caused by underground utility issues.

"There's a precedent for significant overrun on infrastructure projects locally," she said.

"The council seems very excited by the fact that this is the first Dutch-style roundabout in the UK but it makes me very nervous.

"I am also apprehensive about the idea of expecting motorists running late for hospital appointments to give way to me."

Lib Dem county councillor Amanda Taylor said officials needed to "get a grip on procedures and get better information about what is under the ground - so we don't have these wild overruns in future".

A spokesman for Cambridgeshire County Council said the initial £800,000 cost had been an "early estimate" and "did not include the additional utility work now required".

"It is estimated the cost will be around £1.8m," they added.

It includes "almost 700m of new ducting", "more than 200m of ducting moved", it said, and the addition of new chambers and fire hydrants.

The "Dutch-style" design has an inner ring/outer ring configuration - and gives priority to cyclists and pedestrians. The design is prolific in Holland, which is renowned for its investment in improved cycling infrastructure.

The idea is to "influence slower approach and departure speeds", thereby reducing the speed of drivers.

There are zebra crossings for pedestrians on each of the four roundabout entry/exit arms.

Cyclists have their own outer ring cycle path - in contrasting red tarmac - to give them equal priority with pedestrians over each arm.