The inbound Hills Road cycle lane from Long Road to Purbeck Road is suspended for two months from 5 October while a gas main is replaced. The order is now made.
The cycle lane on the city-bound side of Hills Road will be suspended for two months from Monday 5 October. Cambridgeshire County Council has made the order so a gas main can be replaced under the road.
The suspension covers the stretch from Long Road to just north of Purbeck Road. The works are expected to run until 4 December, well past the clocks going back on 25 October.
What the order says
The county council published the made order, reference 2026-21414, in its Cambridge traffic notices of 23 September. It had advertised the plan a week earlier, in its 16 September batch.
It suspends the mandatory cycle lane on the west side of Hills Road:
- from its junction with Long Road
- to a point 38 metres north of the junction with Purbeck Road
- for “gas main replacement & associated works”
- with the works expected between 5 October and 4 December 2026
The west side is the lane for traffic heading north, into the city. The notice’s heading describes the same stretch as “between Long Road & Luard Avenue”. It does not name the gas company doing the work.
The suspension applies only “when the signs are in place at each end” of the stretch while the works are going on. Like every temporary order of this kind, it can legally stay in force for up to 18 months to allow for delays. The council’s own estimate is the October to December window.
More work on the same corridor this autumn
Hills Road is not the only job on the south-east side of the city. The same September batches, and the county council’s resurfacing programme, list these nearby:
| Road | Dates | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Hills Road cycle lane | 5 October to 4 December | City-bound lane suspended, Long Road to just north of Purbeck Road, gas main replacement |
| Glebe Road | 26 October to 14 November | Closed between Hills Road and Templemore Close for a gas main upgrade, diversion via the A1134 and Holbrook Road |
| Gonville Place | From 26 October, two weeks | Closed 9pm to 5am for resurfacing, at the city end of Hills Road |
| Gresham Road | 26 October to 16 November | Closed between Gonville Place and Harvey Road for carriageway and footway resurfacing |
| Coronation Street | 28 to 30 October | One-way order suspended between George IV Street and Panton Street, fire hydrant repairs |
Hills Road itself is due for a full resurfacing in summer 2027, in three sections between Long Road and St Paul’s Walk. The council has published no dates for that yet.
What it means for you
- If you cycle into town this way, expect to ride in the general traffic lane past the works from 5 October.
- Look for the signs. The suspension only applies where they are up at each end of the stretch, so the lane may be open on days when no work is taking place.
- If you drive, expect cyclists in the carriageway between Long Road and Purbeck Road, and allow for it when passing.
- If you live on Glebe Road, your road is also closed from 26 October to 14 November for a separate gas main upgrade.
Every closure in and around the city, updated each visit, is on our Cambridge roadworks page.
Sources
- Cambridgeshire County Council, made temporary traffic orders, Cambridge, published 23 September 2026, for Order 2026-21414 on Hills Road, and for Glebe Road, Gresham Road and Coronation Street.
- Cambridgeshire County Council, traffic notices published 16 September 2026, where the same orders were first advertised.
- Cambridgeshire County Council, road improvements programme, for Gonville Place and the summer 2027 Hills Road resurfacing.
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