A major road scheme has been recreated in popular block-building game Minecraft for the first time.

Pupils at a Bedfordshire primary school were among the first to explore the plans during a taster session in which the children created dual carriageways and built three-tier junctions.

Highways England's A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet scheme was created using more than two billion blocks.

Drivers could save up to an hour and a half on their journeys every week using the new 10-mile dual carriageway linking the Black Cat roundabout in Bedfordshire to the Caxton Gibbet roundabout in Cambridgeshire. Both roundabouts would also be upgraded into modern, free-flowing junctions and a new junction would be added at Cambridge Road near St Neots.


The project would replace the only remaining section of single carriageway between Milton Keynes and Cambridge, tackling one of the region's most notorious congestion hotspots.

The Minecraft world is taking place alongside a public consultation on updated plans put on show for the A428 scheme.

Highways England A428 programme lead Lee Galloway said: "This is the first time a major road improvement scheme has been created using blocks in Minecraft, and we're excited that local Minecraft experts have had a chance to thoroughly explore plans in the game, visiting sites such as the three-tier Black Cat junction and the new 10-mile duel carriageway.

"The current A428 carries twice the traffic it was designed for and cuts through small communities and villages. Our plans will make a real difference, improving people's journeys for decades to come and provided economic benefits across the region. By using Minecraft in this public consultation, we hope to engage a new younger audience to see the roads that will shape their region for years to come, and hopefully inspire the next generation of engineers to build them."

The map was created by Blockbuilders C.I.C, an expert company at engaging young people in planning, the environment and local history using Minecraft.

The A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet scheme server is open to all Minecraft users.

The consultation on updated plans for the A428 scheme closes on Sunday 28 July 2019.