Missing Link Ten-mile road diversion starts on the A417
DRIVERS had their first taste of a 10-mile diversion as a two-mile stretch of main road was closed on Monday night into Tuesday morning.
The A417 at Crickley Hill is being closed on weeknights this month from 9pm to 6am as part of the Missing Link project.
The closures run Monday to Friday throughout January, with the final overnight closure on Friday, February 2 with the road reopening on the Saturday morning. It’s to widen the stretch of road from the A46 Brockworth junction to the Air Balloon roundabout at the top of Crickley Hill.
The official diversion route during overnight closures will take drivers heading to the M5 junction at Brockworth on the A436 via Seven Springs and down the A435 Cirencester Road (along the reopened Charlton Hill) and into Cheltenham.
Then it’s on to the A40 through town and down the A46 through Shurdington to the A417 junction at the Brockworth Bypass - and in reverse for those heading south towards Cirencester, Swindon and the M4.
The works have already seen the demolition of the Air Balloon pub and the cutting down of trees on the Crickley Hill section of the A417. These closures will be in place weeknights only, between 9pm and 6am on:
» Monday, January 8 - Friday, January 12
» Monday, January 15 - Friday, January 19
» Monday, January 22 - Friday, January 26
» Monday, January 29 - Friday, February 2
National Highways’ A417 Missing Link scheme includes:
» 3.4 miles of new dual carriageway connecting the existing A417 Brockworth bypass with the existing A417 dual carriageway south of Cowley.
» The section to the west of the existing Air Balloon roundabout would follow the existing A417 corridor. However, the section to the south and east of the Air Balloon roundabout would be offline, away from the existing road corridor.
» A new junction at Shab Hill, providing a link from the A417 to the A436 towards Oxford and into Birdlip.
» A new junction near Cowley, replacing the existing Cowley roundabout.
» The existing A417 between the Air Balloon roundabout and the Cowley roundabout would be repurposed, converting some lengths of this existing road into a route for walkers, cyclists and horse riders, while retaining other sections to maintain local access for residents.
On an average day, this section of the A417 carries approximately 40,000 vehicles. Congestion can be frequent and unpredictable, and with motorists diverting onto local roads to avoid tailbacks, this causes difficulties for neighbouring communities.
The £460million scheme, as well as preserving and enhancing the surrounding Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, looks to eradicate the bottleneck, unlock the county’s potential for growth, support regional plans for more homes and jobs, and improve life for communities.
The new bypass would mean a continuous dual-carriage link from the M5 at Brockworth all the way down to the M4 at Wiltshire. It is due to open in spring 2027.