A417 Missing Link campaign!

[trickstat]

But what if they moved the Air Balloon pub?

I wonder if it was felt that the pub was less viable with the traffic being more free-flowing? Maybe much of the custom they get now is from people killing time avoiding peak periods or taking a break having been stuck in traffic.

[Ross Spur]

Was the original Cirencester bypass built in about 1973?

Just a bit later. The 2.5 mile Eastern Bypass dual carriageway from The Whiteway to Preston also included the online dualling of Grove Lane (on the original Northern Bypass). Work was to start in December 1973 on the 15 month contract (per the 20 November 1973 Bristol Evening Post). If it was a good summer there is a possibility that it had been completed in late 1974 but the 1975 date is probably more likely. It is shown on the April 1975 OS Quarter inch map but not on the March 1974 edition. Abbey Way, which had opened in 1925, was used for the western connection to Gloucester Road.

[Ross Spur]

edit: The dualling from Cirencester to Nettleton appears to have taken place post 1993 (and the Birdlip Bypass about 1990) according to newpaper articles.

The 5.9 mile dualling from Cowley Roundabout (south-east of Nettleton) to Daglingworth Quarry Junction (the north-west end of the Cirencester and Stratton Bypass) was opened on 16 December 1997 per the Land Compensation Act notice. This was just after the 5.8 mile Cirencester and Stratton Bypass from Daglingworth Quarry Junction to Drifford Junction which was opened on 9 December 1997 per the Land Compensation Act notice.

Birdlip Bypass was authorised in January 1988 and work was expected to start shortly after with work expected to take 18 months so 1990 seems about right.

[Isleworth1961]

Was the original Cirencester bypass built in about 1973?

Just a bit later. The 2.5 mile Eastern Bypass dual carriageway from The Whiteway to Preston also included the online dualling of Grove Lane (on the original Northern Bypass). Work was to start in December 1973 on the 15 month contract (per the 20 November 1973 Bristol Evening Post). If it was a good summer there is a possibility that it had been completed in late 1974 but the 1975 date is probably more likely. It is shown on the April 1975 OS Quarter inch map but not on the March 1974 edition. Abbey Way, which had opened in 1925, was used for the western connection to Gloucester Road.

That section of the original Northern Bypass certainly appears to have been opened around 1929, according to the British Newspaper Archives (The Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News, December 21st 1929. Photo of cars driving through flooded road...)

[Ross Spur]

That section of the original Northern Bypass certainly appears to have been opened around 1929, according to the British Newspaper Archives (The Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News, December 21st 1929. Photo of cars driving through flooded road...)

They didn't plan for future flooding then! Abbey Road's (now Abbey Way) opening ceremony was planned for 30 July 1925 (per the Gloucester Journal of 25 July 1925). Glad someone else likes the British Newspaper Archive.

[Isleworth1961]

That section of the original Northern Bypass certainly appears to have been opened around 1929, according to the British Newspaper Archives (The Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News, December 21st 1929. Photo of cars driving through flooded road...)

They didn't plan for future flooding then! Abbey Road's (now Abbey Way) opening ceremony was planned for 30 July 1925 (per the Gloucester Journal of 25 July 1925). Glad someone else likes the British Newspaper Archive.

Found it! Thanks. The BNA has also uncovered some of my family history that I never knew (some happy, some humdrum, and some tragic...)
m

[roadtester]

edit: The dualling from Cirencester to Nettleton appears to have taken place post 1993 (and the Birdlip Bypass about 1990) according to newpaper articles.

The 5.9 mile dualling from Cowley Roundabout (south-east of Nettleton) to Daglingworth Quarry Junction (the north-west end of the Cirencester and Stratton Bypass) was opened on 16 December 1997 per the Land Compensation Act notice. This was just after the 5.8 mile Cirencester and Stratton Bypass from Daglingworth Quarry Junction to Drifford Junction which was opened on 9 December 1997 per the Land Compensation Act notice.

Birdlip Bypass was authorised in January 1988 and work was expected to start shortly after with work expected to take 18 months so 1990 seems about right.

My late parents used to live in Cheltenham so I used to go this way all the time. Although there was already quite a bit of dualling on the A417/A419 corridor, the two big openings in 1997 were the main steps in transforming the route to start giving it a modern high quality feel. The other big changes that made a difference were the grade separations near Swindon, and the Blunsdon bypass, which also really boosted the overall quality level.

I’ve always been a bit puzzled by the Birdlip bypass. The notion of upgrading/dualling the whole route between the M4 and M5 must already have been a live issue while it was in planning but it doesn’t really seem to have been designed to be integrated into any eventual upgrade of that section of the route. I suspect at the time, Air Balloon was seen as an intractable problem that might never be solved so there was no point in designing with a bigger upgrade in mind - or the planners thought it would just be irrelevant to the earlier favoured solution before the current scheme of the impossibly expensive and impractical tunnel.

I think the current scheme is really impressive in terms of uniting two sections of dual carriageway that point in completely different directions, and managing a significant gradient without resorting to tunnelling and so on, all while minimising the impact on the line of the Cotswold escarpment, which is probably one of the most sensitive landscapes in the country.

[skiddaw05]

I’ve always been a bit puzzled by the Birdlip bypass. The notion of upgrading/dualling the whole route between the M4 and M5 must already have been a live issue while it was in planning but it doesn’t really seem to have been designed to be integrated into any eventual upgrade of that section of the route. I suspect at the time, Air Balloon was seen as an intractable problem that might never be solved so there was no point in designing with a bigger upgrade in mind - or the planners thought it would just be irrelevant to the earlier favoured solution before the current scheme of the impossibly expensive and impractical tunnel.

It could be that Birdlip was just something that had to be done, more to relieve the village from through traffic than being part of a long term objective to improve the route. The road here is narrow with an abrupt right angle junction in the middle (the priorities have since changed) and now it's difficult to visualise what it was like with the full weight of A417 traffic ploughing through here

[SteveA30]

Here is the tie-in at Birdlip in November 1996. Hidden behind tree growth now.
Stratton in Nov 96, just over a year before relief from all this traffic.

Wish I'd photographed Birdlip before the bypass. The bend was a major bottleneck for lorries and turning traffic.

[Isleworth1961]

Here is the tie-in at Birdlip in November 1996. Hidden behind tree growth now.
Stratton in Nov 96, just over a year before relief from all this traffic.

Wish I'd photographed Birdlip before the bypass. The bend was a major bottleneck for lorries and turning traffic.

Thatched roof has now been replaced with cotswold tiles...

[SteveA30]

The only other 2 I have of old A417. Some of old A419 Latton are the only other ones.

[MikeL]

National Highways web page has been updated to say no legal challenges have been made to the DCO and "we’ve been working hard behind the scenes to make sure we are ready to start construction in autumn 2023."

Not quite consistent with the heading at the top of the page which says "Start date Early 2023" but at least it now appears certain that the project will actually go ahead. Web page also says:

"We’re now gearing up to start preparatory work. Over the next couple of weeks, you will start to see people in high-visibility jackets out on site. Watch this space for lots more information about what preparatory work we will be doing and when.

We’re also planning to do some routine maintenance work on the A417 between Cowley and Air Balloon roundabout in early March, which will involve some overnight closures and diversions."

https://nationalhighways.co.uk/our-road ... sing-link/

[jackal]

National Highways web page has been updated to say no legal challenges have been made to the DCO and "we’ve been working hard behind the scenes to make sure we are ready to start construction in autumn 2023."

Not quite consistent with the heading at the top of the page which says "Start date Early 2023" but at least it now appears certain that the project will actually go ahead. Web page also says:

"We’re now gearing up to start preparatory work. Over the next couple of weeks, you will start to see people in high-visibility jackets out on site. Watch this space for lots more information about what preparatory work we will be doing and when.

We’re also planning to do some routine maintenance work on the A417 between Cowley and Air Balloon roundabout in early March, which will involve some overnight closures and diversions."

https://nationalhighways.co.uk/our-road ... sing-link/

Thanks for the good news, Mike, and welcome to SABRE. At least this should be one big scheme that starts in a reasonable timescale.

[jackal]

Preparatory work is underway with the main construction to start in the Autumn. Some useful detail presented in the obnoxious Sway format: https://sway.office.com/xwjURCFZS5ABRuFf?ref=Link

[RichardEvans67]

by jackal » Fri Apr 14, 2023 13:37

presented in the obnoxious Sway format:

You can stop the sway, by clicking on the cog, and switching animations off.

[MikeL]

There's a new newsletter on the National Highways website - it's dated October 2023 but I think it only appeared a few days ago.

The main item is a visit by Mark Harper (Transport Secretary) and five other local MPs - obviously this is just a bit of PR. However the newletter does suggest that actual construction work (as opposed to just preparatory work) is set to get under way imminently.

There is a new timeline showing:

Early 2024: Offline Construction
- New section of road build
- Earthworks for Ullenwood and Shab Hill junctions

February 2024: Reconfiguration of Cowley Roundabout

April 2024: Construction of crossings

.............

Autumn 2025 / Early 2026: New section of A417 open and in use with roadworks

https://sway.office.com/7RX3FRveqFpZox0a?ref=Link

[IAN]

Autumn 2025 / Early 2026: New section of A417 open and in use with roadworks

https://sway.office.com/7RX3FRveqFpZox0a?ref=Link

It’s interesting to see that the plan is to have the road in use in just over two years (albeit with road works)

Three years or longer seems to be pretty standard with most construction projects these days.

Edit - I’ve just checked the timeline and it says fully open in early 2027, which fits with the typical three year construction period.

[fras]

So how long between the new road being mooted, and final completion; the usual 30+ years ?
Glad to see progress at last, however !

[DB617]

Air Balloon pub is now rubble - sad, but a sign of progress.

Content Warning: Obnoxious Reach news site

[skiddaw05]

One would hope there could be some sort of suitable sculpture put up nearby (as they did at Black Cat)