The Missing Link will be no more as £435million spend approved for new A417 in Gloucestershire
By James Young | 12th March 2020
The so-called Missing Link will be missing no more as the final obstacle in the way of the new A417 link in Gloucestershire was successfully navigated.
Chancellor of the exchequer Rishi Sunak used his Budget speech yesterday to confirm the full £435million funding package for the dual carriageway to bypass the Air Balloon roundabout had been agreed.
Plans for the 3.4mile stretch of road that will link Brockworth to the Cowley Roundabout are already well-advanced with an indicative fly-through video produced late last year to detail the scheme.
An Development Consent Order - effectively the necessary planning permission for the scheme - has been applied for and with the funding now confirmed, work can start as soon as the DCO is rubber stamped.
The news of the investment was welcomed by Gloucester MP Richard Graham, who highlighted the campaign by the six Gloucestershire MPs to get the scheme ratified.
"My constituents know Nettleton Bottom and the Air Balloon roundabout design cause bottlenecks, air pollution, delays and even deaths," he said.
"They want us to Get This Done and all six local MPs have been lobbying hard to make sure that this is what happens."
In total, more than £27billion was committed to transport infrastructure in the budget, that included, the all-ways junction 10 of the M5 and work to improve Junction 9 at Tewkesbury.
Cheltenham MP Alex Chalk said: "The sheer scale of this investment into the CHeltenham area is truly staggering.
"Taken together with the J9 improvements and the £22m already going into the Arle Court works to unlock Cheltenham's cyber park, this represents the thick end of £1bn coming to our county.
"And Cheltenham is in pole position to benefit. This funding will save lives, ease congestion, improve air quality and boost jobs. It's great news for the town."
Laurence Robertson, MP for Tewkesbury added: The budget confirmed the largest ever investment in English roads, with over £27 billion between 2020- 2025.
"I am delighted that this will include The Missing Link and an upgrade to M5 Junction 9. I have been lobbying DFT on these issues for some time so this is fantastic news!"
Related Articles
Copyright 2024 Moose Partnership Ltd. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any content is strictly forbidden without prior permission.