Construction is underway on one of the UK’s largest environmental bridges—Gloucestershire’s first—part of the major A417 Missing Link project led by National Highways. This bridge will mark National Highways’ fifth green bridge in the county, reflecting their commitment to integrating sustainability into vital infrastructure.
The project team has started lifting 10 massive steel beams to form the base of the eco-friendly crossing. Once these beams are in place, work will continue on installing the bridge deck, which will connect the Gloucestershire Way at Shab Hill. This innovative bridge is designed as a multi-purpose crossing, catering to walkers, cyclists, and horse riders, while also providing a safe passage for various wildlife such as deer, badgers, voles, insects, and birds.
Measuring 60 metres long and 37 metres wide, the bridge spans eight lanes of the new dual carriageway, making it one of the UK’s largest green bridges. Beyond facilitating human movement, its design includes a footpath and bridleway, with extensive planting that mirrors the surrounding landscape—featuring 27 metres of calcareous grassland and native hedgerows to benefit local biodiversity.
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Steve Foxley, Project Director for the A417 Missing Link at National Highways, emphasized the significance of this project: “We’re immensely proud of the environmental focus in this landscape-led scheme. Creating one of the UK’s largest green bridges is central to that aim. This bridge will offer safe crossings not only for wildlife but also for walkers and horse riders, demonstrating how infrastructure improvements and environmental stewardship can coexist.”
Green bridges, first developed in France in the 1950s and refined in the Netherlands in the 1990s, are increasingly vital for sustainable infrastructure. They reconnect habitats disrupted by roads and help preserve wildlife movement. National Highways has built only a handful of these structures nationally, making this their fifth on the Strategic Road Network.
Senior Ecologist Natasha James from Kier highlighted the collaborative environmental effort: “Significant care has been taken at every stage to ensure that this bridge leaves a lasting positive ecological legacy. Watching these beams lifted into place is exciting because this structure will become a valuable habitat feature while enhancing the scheme’s overall landscape and biodiversity.”
National Highways has previously installed green bridges on the A556 near Knutsford, the A21 at Scotney Castle in Sussex, the A30 in Cornwall, and at Cockrow on the M25 Wisley interchange in Surrey.
Following completion, the bridge will be seeded with calcareous grasslands and planted with native species. Additional planting will occur this autumn, followed by a five-year maintenance program to ensure the thriving establishment of new vegetation.
The landscape-led A417 scheme not only delivers a vital transport link in the Cotswolds but also sets a benchmark for world-class environmental practices that protect and enrich local habitats and landscapes.