Geology

The superficial deposits consist of:

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Alluvium, including peat;

River terraced deposits;

Glacial deposits (gravel and till) in the area between Ellington and The Offords.

The topsoil includes in some areas made ground (sandy gravelly clay with gravel of flint, brick,
ceramic, concrete, metal, and clinker).
The bedrock includes different formations, namely Gault Clay, Woburn Sands, Kimmeridge Clay,
Ampthill Clay, and Oxford Clay (stiff and very stiff clays). The sequence dips generally to the
south-east and all solid geological units sub crop over some length of the scheme. For example,
Huntingdon is underlain entirely by bedrock geology of the Oxford Clay.
Geohazard
The road alignment would pass through several hillside cuttings and in embankments in areas of
lower ground. The material from cuttings would be used as fill after being proved suitable for use.
Moreover, six borrow pits would provide the rest of the material for earthworks.
Landscaping would cause a change in effective stress (thus in the bearing capacity) of the soil:
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Removing material (cuttings and temporary excavations) can cause groundwater inflow and
soil heave, with critical long-term conditions.

Adding material (embankments) can cause settlements with critical short-term conditions.

Seepage though permeable strata can trigger landslip of the slopes and re-activate existing
landslides. Flooding significantly worsens this risk as the rising of the water surface increases the
seepage area.
Moreover, soft alluvial soil and peat can cause differential settlements with damages for structures
and services.
Temporary excavation and borrow pits can provide a channel for groundwater so a drainage system
would be adopted to avoid the water inflow.
The remediation measures include a detailed slope stability analysis along the scheme, assessment
of stability for temporary excavations (to avoid collapse and damages to surrounding properties),
soil reinforcement, dewatering (if necessary) to speed up the consolidation and for temporary
excavations, retaining walls and detailed monitoring during construction.
Raft foundations, platforms and concrete slabs would be adopted to reduce the differential
settlements for structures.
Soil conditions and contamination
A number of ground investigations were undertaken in the 2000s to assess the ground conditions.
The scheme would pass to the following sites which are likely to be contaminated:
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Buckden fuel depot;

Bucken south landfill (former landfill site);

Bucken north landfill;

Milton landfill.

A detailed ground investigation would be carried out ahead of construction to assess the ground
condition and the contamination level. A site-specific risk assessment would be carried out and any
material identified as unacceptable would be excavated and, if possibile, treated and used in less
sensitive areas. The assessment area comprises a 250 m buffer zone around the work boundary.
Construction of scheme would include the following potential activities which may influence the
land contaminations:
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Decommissioning, demolition and removal of structures (buildings, bridges, embankments,

tanks and pipework etc);

Excavation works (including borrow pits and flood compensation areas) close to the
potentially contaminated areas could modify the ground water flow regime and increase the
leachate. Temporary dewatering to lower the ground water table and for consolidation
(including temporary excavation and borrow pits) can locally modify the groundwater flow
direction. Potentially these processes can contaminate the groundwater;

Vegetation clearance and excavation of contaminated ground can both remove the
contamination and mobilise existing pollutants;

Redistribution of the ground can identify new receptors.

The mitigation measures include earthworks to limit the mobilization of contamination and the
ground water monitoring. Moreover, ground water modelling and a soil management strategy would
be adopted to minimize the risks.