Huge diversion as mini-roundabout to be moved as part of A417 bypass work

The mini-roundabout at the top of the image with the Air Balloon roundabout at the bottom
-Credit: (Image: Gerry Watkins/YouTube)


A mini-roundabout at a busy junction in Gloucestershire is to be moved as a major road is realigned. It will mean a major A-road will be shut overnight for the work which is part of the A417 Missing Link project.

National Highways will be closing the A436 between the Air Balloon roundabout and Ullenwood Major Road from 9pm on Saturday (September 21) to 6am on Sunday (September 22). It says this is while the mini-roundabout is moved for the new alignment of Leckhampton Hill.

A diversion of around 10 miles will be in place via the A417, A46 Shurdington Road, A40 and A435 during the road closure. The mini-roundabout is at the junction of Leckhampton Hill and the A436 and motorists had blamed it for causing long delays.

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It was installed earlier this year and while delays were reported on the A436, it was easier (and safer) for traffic to get onto the A436 from Leckhampton Hill. Previously, there had been a T-junction.

As well as the A436 closure, National Highways has highlighted another A417 closure, from the junction with the A46 at Shurdington up to the Air Balloon roundabout.

It will be closed tonight (Friday, September 20) from 9pm to 6am on Saturday. And it will then be closed overnight from Monday (September 23) to Friday, September 27 from 9pm to 6am.

National Highways’ A417 Missing Link scheme includes

  • 3.4 miles of new dual carriageway connecting the existing A417 Brockworth bypass with the existing A417 dual carriageway south of Cowley;

  • the section to the west of the existing Air Balloon roundabout would follow the existing A417 corridor. However, the section to the south and east of the Air Balloon roundabout would be offline, away from the existing road corridor;

  • a new junction at Shab Hill, providing a link from the A417 to the A436 towards Oxford and into Birdlip;

  • a new junction near Cowley, replacing the existing Cowley roundabout;

  • the existing A417 between the Air Balloon roundabout and the Cowley roundabout would be repurposed, converting some lengths of this existing road into a route for walkers, cyclists and horse riders, while retaining other sections to maintain local access for residents.