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Start of major A417 scheme 'like Christmas Eve'

BBC A man digs in the ground with machinery behind himBBC
The section of road had been notorious for traffic bottlenecks and crashes

Preliminary work at the site of a major road improvement scheme is "like Christmas Eve" for the highways team.

An archaeological dig around the A417 in Gloucestershire has already revealed a number of Roman artefacts.

Finds included a "very rare" cupid figurine and a ring used as a keyring to open a small lock box.

The A417 Missing Link project will bypass the Air Balloon roundabout in a bid to improve the notorious traffic bottleneck and accident blackspot.

Oxford Cotswold Archaeology Someone holding a cupid figurineOxford Cotswold Archaeology
A "very rare" cupid figurine has been found

Oxford Cotswolds Archaeology said there was "real potential for some really interesting archaeology" to be found due to the proximity of Roman and Iron Age sites of interest.

"It's a real sense of achievement for us. It's a bit like Christmas Eve in a lot of ways," said A417 National Highways Missing Link project director Mike Goddard.

"We're getting our toys out, we're getting people on site and we're going to build this thing," he said.

Mike Goddard in a yellow jacket and white hard hat
Mike Goddard said the project gave the team "a real sense of achievement"

The preliminary work will continue until early autumn and the scheme is expected to be completed in 2027.

"There's going to be an ecology survey and some fencing going up for badgers.

"We're also doing some ground investigation to check we are sure what's in the ground before we start the main work later this autumn," Mr Goddard said.

The best finds from the archaeological dig will be displayed at the Corinium Museum in Cirencester.

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