A417 Missing Link - unlocking economic growth for Gloucestershire and beyond

The A417/A419 provides an important route between Gloucester, Cheltenham and Swindon that helps connect the West Midlands and the north to the south of England via the M5 and M4 motorways.

As things stand, local businesses have told us that congestion and delays on the A417 are costing them money. Journey time reliability is currently as low as 63.4%. Staff sometimes struggle to get to work on time, deliveries are frequently delayed and its difficult for businesses to plan and schedule deliveries or keep to appointment times.

By making the section of the A417 between the Brockworth bypass and Cowley roundabout into a dual carriageway, it will be able to take more cars, congestion and delays will be significantly decreased and journey times will be more reliable. We’re predicting that the new road will reduce the average journey times between Cirencester and the M5 by up to 30% westbound and 20% eastbound.

This will help local businesses grow and prosper, and in turn create jobs. This supports the aspirations of local councils and key business organisation, who have identified transport infrastructure improvements as essential to stimulate regional economic growth. 

The new road will also make it easier for people to visit the area. Already, the county welcomes over 16 million visitors who spend more than £1.1 billion. The tourism industry also employs over 26,000 people – 8% of the region’s workforce. This would grow even further if access to the area was improved.

Improving road links will also support regional housing growth. There are lots more houses and major mixed-use development sites (housing and business) planned for the region, which will result in more cars, but will also require the A417 to operate reliably. 

In terms of monetary benefits, we predict that there will be:

• significant accident reduction benefits valued at £65 million
• journey time savings valued at £314 million
• business user journey time reliability benefits of £40 million
• commuting and other user journey time reliability benefits of approximately £31 million
• significant wider economic benefits totalling £140 million

Find out more about what benefits the A417 Missing Link project will bringin this short video.