A417 missing link: Excavation for new route begins

Enough rock to fill 400 Olympic-sized swimming pools is to be excavated as earthwork on a "missing link" route gets under way.

The £460m scheme on the A417 between Gloucester and Cirencester will see a new dual carriageway built to replace an accident hotspot.

The work will start in March close to the Air Balloon roundabout.

Project director Steve Foxley said the start of the earthworks was a significant milestone" for the scheme.

"We are doing everything we can to minimise disruption to drivers and residents while we upgrade this vital junction, including installing new lanes for construction vehicles on the existing A417," he added.

"The A417 is used by 40,000 of drivers every day and building the first section of new road 'offline' - away from the existing road - means that we will drastically reduce the level of disruption to users and ease their road experience throughout the build."

Some 1.5m cubic metres of rock and 300,000 cubic metres of topsoil is to be removed. But project bosses said it will be stored and reused on the site later.

The route links the M5 and M4 and the section being worked on is known as the missing link as either side of the single carriageway section, the road is dual carriageway.

It is hoped the new road between Gloucester, Cirencester and Swindon will reduce traffic congestion at the single-carriageway bottleneck stretch past Birdlip.

As well as the dual carriageway, a number of "green bridges" will also be built to boost wildlife in the area. The new road is expected to be completed and open by 2027.

The new road is due to open in 2027.

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