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First stretch of £460m road scheme set to open

Steve KnibbsGloucestershire
News imageBBC Aerial view of a major road construction project cutting through open countryside. In the foreground, a large concrete bridge spans a newly built road, with cranes, construction vehicles and building materials visible around the site. The partially completed road stretches into the distance towards a roundabout, while fields, woodland and temporary construction compounds surround the route. BBC
After three years of work the first major stretch of the new A417 is due to open

The first stretch of a £460m major road improvement scheme in Gloucestershire is set to open on Monday, three years after work began.

It is a key milestone for the A417 Missing Link project and will mean motorists will have to get used to a new dual carriageway, with the old A417 to and from Birdlip now permanently shut.

The changes will mean Crickley Hill will temporarily become single lane between Brockworth and the Air Balloon roundabout, with more recovery teams on standby in case of breakdowns.

Senior project manager, Céline Acard, said there would be disruption as people got used to the changes with the new route, which is set to open at 06:00 BST on Monday, creating "significant delays".

Watch: The new route of the A417 Missing Link which opens on Monday 6 July 2026

What's changing on the A417?

To get to and from Cirencester and Swindon, drivers will head up the new two-mile (3.2km) stretch of the A417 once they reach the top of Crickley Hill.

Heading along the road, motorists will go through the new Shab Hill junction, which will eventually go to Birdlip. For now, the route to Birdlip will be via the new Cowley Junction.

There will be a 40mph (64kmp/h) limit on the route.

To prepare for the changes, Crickley Hill is closed in both directions over the weekend.

Acard said people should "plan ahead", adding: "If they can, they should consider alternative routes where they can during peak travel times."

News imageA newly constructed road junction and roundabout with new tarmac laid leading towards an underpass beneath a bridge, with road signs, traffic cones and temporary barriers. Workers in high-vis are standing near the junction, while earthworks, construction machinery and embankments are visible in the background under a clear blue sky.
Motorists will come off the new temporary route at the new Shab Hill junction and carry on to the new Cowley Junction

The changes are only temporary with more routes set to open later in the summer when the Air Balloon Roundabout will be taken away, meaning drivers will be able to go straight up Crickley Hill and carry on towards Cirencester and Swindon.

Work is also starting to turn the old A417 towards Birdlip into a bridleway called Air Balloon Way.

Construction company Kier Group is building the project and its project director Gavin Jones said it would be "very different".

"Things have been very similar around here for years. The Air Balloon has been notorious and we're changing that now."

The project, which is costing £460m, is on target to fully open next spring.

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