Improvements on Gloucester dual carriageway to link the South and the Midlands

A new scheme will improve the A417 Gloucester dual carriageway creating the ‘missing link’ between the Midlands and the South.

Highways England is leading a scheme to add to the Gloucester dual carriageway A417 to reduce journey times, traffic, and improve the local area. The improvements will create a new 3.4-mile dual carriageway section on the road alongside other road improvements.

The road is expected to improve journey times and road safety. An extra climbing lane will be added to allow slow moving traffic through and some roundabouts will be removed to improve traffic.

Highways England Senior Project Manager Michael Goddard said: “This scheme will bring a number of benefits to the area. Besides making journey times more reliable, reducing rat-running through neighbouring communities, it will also improve the lives of people who live close to the route and make it easier for drivers, walkers and other local road users to get around.”

“Improving this key road connection complements the landscape in this area, and also supports the predicted growth in jobs and housing in Gloucestershire.”

The work is being designed to cause minimal damage to the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and key stakeholders are involved to restore and improve the landscape. A green bridge will also be built along with other routes to improve connections around the area.

The planned route comes after extensive public consultation to decide on the route. Around 2,000 people were consulted with three quarters supporting the decided road, which was altered based on feedback from the public.

Walking routes in the area will also be improved, including safer access to the Cotswold Way National Trail and the Gloucestershire Way. Funding for the road comes from the Government’s £15billion road investment programme, with the project awaiting confirmation of funding from the second Road Investment Strategy due to be confirmed later this year.

If you would like to read more articles like this then please click here.

If you are interested in finding out more about key infrastructure trends today, you may wish to attend the flagship infrastructure exhibition at the NEC in April 2019: UKIS 2019

Register for your delegate place now: UK Infrastructure Show 2019. 

The post Improvements on Gloucester dual carriageway to link the South and the Midlands appeared first on UK Construction Online.