A major upgrade to the A417 road has reached an important milestone today, with a new dual carriageway section officially opening to traffic following an investment of £460 million.
The initiative to construct a bypass linking Cowley to Brockworth on the A417, often referred to as the “Missing Link”, began with a petition in August 2011. At that time, the two-mile stretch was the only remaining single-track section on the continuous route from Italy to Scotland. This bottleneck, carrying up to 31,000 vehicles daily including 14 per cent heavy goods vehicles, had long been a known hotspot for accidents and fatalities.
In April 2022, Kier was awarded a £460 million contract to design and deliver the upgrade, which involves creating a 5.5-kilometre dual carriageway connecting the Brockworth bypass to the dual carriageway south of Cowley. Preparatory work commenced in February 2023, with phased construction starting in early 2024.
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From 6am today, a permanent traffic switch means the road no longer has a “missing link”. While some roadworks continue, highways officials have welcomed this as a significant step forward. Motorists can now travel along the A417 between Gloucester and Cirencester without encountering the previous roundabout interruptions.
The latest traffic change allows northbound journeys from Cirencester to proceed directly towards Gloucester without leaving the A417 at the Shab Hill junction. Conversely, traffic from Gloucester can continue straight towards Cirencester thanks to the removal of the Air Balloon roundabout.
The new B4070 route to Birdlip and the northbound slip road at Cowley junction are due to open later this year. Until then, access to Birdlip remains via the existing route through Cowley junction.
Traffic changes will particularly affect drivers travelling to Gloucester from Cheltenham via Leckhampton Hill or from Oxford via Seven Springs and the A436. There will be no direct route from Cheltenham and Oxford to Gloucester; instead, drivers should use the new A436 to reach Shab Hill junction, where they may continue towards Cirencester or use an underpass to access the southbound slip road to Gloucester.
To complete the traffic switch safely, the A417 has been closed overnight this week between the A46 Brockworth Junction and the Air Balloon roundabout. The effectiveness of traffic management on the newly opened link will become clearer as usage settles.
Celine Acard, National Highways Senior Project Manager for the scheme, said: “The progress made on the A417 Missing Link has been truly significant, and this latest milestone reflects the dedication and collaboration of everyone involved in delivering this vital scheme.
“Once completed, the upgrade will transform journeys, improving reliability and safety, and bring long-term benefits for local communities, businesses and visitors alike.
“By switching traffic onto this new section now, it enables users to follow the new A417 from Gloucester to Cheltenham, improving journeys and safety, while minimising disruption and protecting our workforce.
“We appreciate this work may cause some delays when the layout first changes, but we expect journey times to improve on the A417 following the switch.”
Gavin Jones, Kier Project Director, added: “This project milestone is very significant. It marks the first time that traffic will be able to travel along the length of the A417 from the M5 to the M4 without having to negotiate a roundabout. Effectively, the A417 Missing Link project has now reached the point that the ‘missing’ can be consigned to history.
“We still have lots of work to do on the project, and you will see us working alongside the live carriageway on the new A417, building the remaining lanes, plus we will continue to transform the old A417 into a footpath, bridleway and cycle route.
“We thank the public and stakeholders for their support to get to this important point, and we appreciate everyone’s patience whilst we finish the job.”
The entire upgrade is expected to be completed by 2027.