Emergency closure of A417 near Air Balloon roundabout ordered ahead of Storm Bert arrival

An emergency closure of a key stretch of the A417 in Gloucestershire has been ordered tonight (Friday, November 22). The Crickley Hill section between the Air Balloon roundabout and the A46 Brockworth junction will be closed from 9pm until tomorrow (Saturday) at 6am.

The decision was taken by contractors Kier who are delivering the £500m Missing Link project that will see a new dual-carriageway built to replace the existing single-carriageway section at Birdlip. Work is ongoing in earnest and the scheme is due to be completed in spring 2027.

A letter sent out by Kier's A417 Communications Team today ahead of Storm Bert said: "Due to the recent bad weather and the condition of the road, we have taken the decision to initiate an emergency closure on the A417 tonight between the A46 Brockworth junction to the Air Balloon roundabout. A division route will be in place via A46, A40, A435 to A436 and has been approved by Gloucestershire County Council.

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"We will be undertaking road cleaning, gulley sucking, line cleaning and sweeping and the works should not be noisy. We will be closing this location at 9pm and reopening at 6am Saturday morning.

"Access for emergency vehicles will be in place. Please accept our apologies for the short notice, but safety must be our priority on the network."

Gritters are being deployed across Gloucestershire ahead of freezing overnight temperatures. The Met Office has issued a severe weather warning for heavy rain in the county from 6am on Saturday to 11.45pm on Sunday.

Gloucestershire County Council said on X: "Emergency closure tonight: A417 between the A46 Brockworth junction to the Air Balloon roundabout, 9pm-6am. A diversion route will be in place via A46, A40, A435 to A436.

"The temporary closure is due to recent bad weather and National Highways A417 Missing Link works. "