Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown makes a statement on news that the Development Consent Order for the A417 Missing Link has been approved
“I have campaigned on the A417 Air Balloon Missing link for 15 years which has culminated in today’s news that the DCO process has been approved by the Minister of State for Transport, Huw Merriman MP. This means that all of the administrative processes such as planning permission, legal issues, and letting the contract to Kier Construction are now in place. There have been numerous public consultations with the preferred route option 30 being adopted. The Government has repeatedly announced that they will fund this with a final announcement to be made in December.
“They will start on ground clearance in early 2023, with construction starting later next year with construction expected to take three years. I have had detailed discussions with National Highways over partial or complete closures and they are working on plans to keep these to a few days throughout the entire project when either end of the new road is joined up with the existing road.
“This is fantastic news for the people of Gloucestershire and more nationally, when complete there will be a dual carriageway linking the M4 to the M5 this will mean faster and more predictable journeys avoiding the twice daily queues. It will bring growth and investment to Gloucestershire, more jobs, less environmental damage from stationary cars, and it will improve safety. The old road will be dedicated to walking, cycling, and riding. Finally, National Highways has extensive measures put in place to preserve if not increase biodiversity for the entire project.”
Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown