After 15 years of planning and anticipation, a significant upgrade to the A417 finally opens to traffic today, Friday 18 September. The project, which has seen a £460 million investment, aims to eliminate the notorious ‘Missing Link’-a problematic two-mile single carriageway stretch between Cowley and Brockworth.
The original petition calling for the bypass was launched in August 2011, drawing attention to the fact that this section was the only remaining single-track carriageway on the route from Italy to Scotland. With an average of 31,000 vehicles using the road daily, including 14% heavy goods vehicles, the area was notorious for bottlenecks and a high incidence of serious accidents.
In April 2022, Kier was awarded the contract to design and deliver the upgrade, which involved building a new 5.5-kilometre dual carriageway to connect the Brockworth bypass with the dual carriageway south of Cowley. Preparatory work began in February 2023, followed by phased construction starting in early 2024.
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This morning, from 6am, a new permanent traffic layout was introduced, effectively closing the ‘Missing Link’. Though construction and roadworks continue, this milestone allows vehicles to travel along the A417 from Gloucester to Cirencester without navigating a roundabout.
The new configuration enables northbound travellers from Cirencester to proceed directly to Gloucester without exiting at the Shab Hill junction. Similarly, traffic departing Gloucester can now continue directly towards Cirencester along the upgraded A417, which replaces the former Air Balloon roundabout.
Plans to open the new B4070 road to Birdlip and the northbound slip road at Cowley junction remain scheduled for later this year. Meanwhile, access to Birdlip will continue via the existing route through Cowley junction.
This change will significantly alter traffic patterns for journeys to Gloucester from Cheltenham via Leckhampton Hill and from Oxford via Seven Springs and the A436. Notably, there will be no direct route from Cheltenham and Oxford to Gloucester; drivers will need to use the new A436 to reach the Shab Hill junction. Here, they can either continue towards Cirencester or access the underpass to join the southbound slip road to Gloucester.
To safely implement the traffic switch, the A417 has been closed overnight throughout the week between the A46 Brockworth Junction and the Air Balloon roundabout. Traffic management on the new route remains under observation as the layout change takes effect.
Celine Acard, National Highways Senior Project Manager, commented: “The progress made on the A417 Missing Link has been truly significant, reflecting the dedication and collaboration of everyone involved. Once completed, this upgrade will transform journeys by improving reliability and safety, delivering lasting benefits for local communities, businesses, and visitors.
“By moving traffic to this new section now, we can improve journeys from Gloucester to Cheltenham while minimising disruption and ensuring safety for our workforce. We understand that initial layout changes may cause some delays, but we anticipate overall journey times on the A417 to improve following this switch.”
Gavin Jones, Kier Project Director, said: “This milestone is a landmark moment, marking the first time traffic can travel along the entire length of the A417 between the M5 and M4 without negotiating a roundabout. The ‘missing’ in the A417 Missing Link can now be consigned to history.
“We still have considerable work to complete, including building remaining lanes and converting the old A417 into footpaths, bridleways, and cycle routes. We thank the public and stakeholders for their continued support and patience as we finish the project.”
The entire A417 upgrade is expected to be completed by 2027, promising a safer and more efficient route for all users in the years to come.