The turn-off to Elton on the A605 has long been known as an accident spot. Since the junction was opened in 1992, there have been two fatalities and nineteen people have been injured. The death of motorist Joyce Dawson in April 2001 motivated more than 1,500 villagers to petition Cambridgeshire County Council to make the junction safer.

As the project could not be constructed within the existing highway boundary, land was needed to be purchased from adjoining landowners. To achieve this Cambridgeshire County Council went into talks with Sir William Proby whose family has been in ownership of the 3,800 acre Elton Hall Estate since 1660.

Sir William agreed something must be done, but was concerned about the increased traffic flow through Elton, fearing it would be more than the 25% increase on Over End that the council predicted. The County Council was unable to negotiate the land required for the improvement, so it was decided to proceed to acquire the land by Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO).

In the mean time, lower cost improvements have been made to the junction, including white lining and the installation of a speed camera. This had the effect of reducing the accident severity at the junction. In 2006, after taking legal advice the Council, was advised that due to the reduction in severity of accidents at the junction, it would be unlikely to win a formal land CPO inquiry. On this basis, being unable to secure the land required, the Council is unable to proceed with the Elton scheme.