By National Highways is reminding drivers to plan their journeys ahead of overnight closures as the A417 Missing Link scheme prepares to move to the next stage.
As part of National Highways’ Missing Link upgrade, the A417 at Crickley Hill will be closed overnight midweek from 8pm to 6am for seven weeks.
Starting on the 16th October, the closures will allow widening works at Crickley Hill whilst keeping traffic moving and congestion in the area to a minimum.
The closure dates include:
- Monday 16 October – Friday 20 October
- Monday 23 October – Friday 27 October
- Monday 30 October – Thursday 2 November
- Monday 6 November – Thursday 9 November
- Monday 13 November – Friday 17 November
- Monday 20 November – Friday 24 November
- Monday 27 November – Wednesday 29 November
- Friday 1 December
During the closures, all traffic will be diverted via the A40, A46, A435 and A436.
The road will remain open during the day and access maintained for residents and emergency services.
Caption: The diversion route will be in operation during the overnight closures
The road will be widened at Crickley Hill, which is crucial to keeping the traffic moving and minimising disruption in the second phase of construction, when National Highways will be fully widening Crickley Hill.
As part of this work, the government-owned company will be relocating some nearby utilities, but this will not affect residents’ supplies.
National Highways will aim to keep disruption to a minimum and apologise in advance for any inconvenience caused by our works.
Caption: The widening works will be taking place on Crickley Hill
Steve Foxley, National Highways’ Project Director for the A417 Missing Link, said: “We need these overnight closures to progress important work along at Crickley Hill before the next stage of this vital scheme.
“We acknowledge these closures will have an effect on people’s journeys, and we are advising people to plan ahead and allow extra time for their journeys and we thank people in advance for their patience.
“We’ve communicated the forthcoming closures and changes to local communities and businesses and once that work is completed, we will be moving to the next stage which will see us start the build of the new offline section of the A417.”
Caption: A scheme map for A417 Missing Link
More information can be found on National Highways’ website, and the project team will be holding a number of public information events to provide more detail and answer any questions:
- Monday 25 September, 2pm-7.30pm – Shurdington Community Centre, Bishop Road, Shurdington, Cheltenham, GL51 4TB
- Wednesday 27 September, 2pm-7.30pm – our engagement van will be parked at Brockworth Community Centre, Court Rd, Brockworth, GL3 4ET
- Wednesday 4 October, 2pm-7.30pm – The Girl Guides Hall, Deer Park, Cowley, GL53 9NJ
- Monday 9 October, 2pm-7.30pm – our engagement van will be parked at National Star College, Ullenwood Manor Road, Ullenwood, Cheltenham GL53 9QU
- Wednesday 11 October, 2pm-7.30pm – our engagement van will be parked at The Royal George Hotel, Birdlip, GL4 8JH
- Monday 16 October, 9am-4.30pm – our engagement van will be parked outside of M&S Cheltenham, 173 High St, Cheltenham GL50 1DF
You can also get in touch with the project team directly by calling 0300 123 5000 or emailing A417MissingLink@nationalhighways.co.uk
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 £460 million scheme, as well as preserving and enhancing the surrounding Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, will help to eradicate the notorious bottleneck, unlock Gloucestershire’s potential for growth, support regional plans for more homes and jobs, and improve life for local communities.
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.
To find out more about the A417 Missing Link and for the latest scheme updates, visit https://nationalhighways.co.uk/our-roads/south-west/a417-missing-link/
Gloucester News Centre – http://gloucesternewscentre.co.uk
emily