Gloucestershire County Council have confirmed work will begin in the new year on a £7.45million scheme to improve a major road in Gloucester.

Improvements to part of the Gloucester South West Bypass, also known as the A430 Llanthony Road scheme, will widen the carriageway to provide two lanes in each direction at a well-known pinch point.

Several buildings bordering the road, including the former City Business Centre, are to be demolished as part of the project. Hoardings have now been put up by contractors prior to work beginning on site.

The Gloucester South West Bypass is an important link from the city centre to the M5 motorway and the Llanthony section is the only section remaining to be improved.

A spokesperson from Gloucestershire County Council, said: "We are currently putting up the hoardings and we are planning to begin work in the New Year.

"The project is part of our successful bid from the Levelling Up fund. It will also include an active travel corridor for pedestrians and cyclists and will improve the links to the docks area of Gloucester which has been transformed into a thriving and dynamic mixed community of businesses, visitors and residents."

The proposed scheme will also see St Ann Way widened to provide two right turn lanes into Llanthony Road. 

It is hoped new traffic lights at Sudmeadow Road will also improve traffic flow on Gloucester City AFC match days.

Side road junctions, pedestrian crossings and facilities for cyclists will also be improved.

Gloucester's Llanthony Business Centre on Llanthony Road was the conceptional birth place of this very publication.

Punchline-Gloucester.com is twelve years old this month and in the spirit of recognising the journey we have been on, we thought we'd bring back our very first issue.