in september 2018, highways england said it was to ask the planning inspectorate to consider giving the upgraded section of a14 motorway status, to be known as the a14(m). the secretary of state for transport was scheduled to make the final decision on whether the planned a14 upgrade will be given motorway status by the end of 2019. a new name and letter 'n' was also put forward as n14 to state the road was a smart motorway. in november 2019, the secretary of state for transport decided not to rename the a14 to the a14m, and the new part of the a14 kept its name as the a14.