The visit was organised by National Highways so that the Secretary of State for Transport, the Rt. Hon Mark Harper MP, and the rest of Gloucestershire’s MPs could see for themselves the tremendous progress that has been made on the new road in just a few months. In that time more archaeological and ecological work has been carried out. This has produced some unexpected finds such as 2000 adders which are being relocated to other wildlife sites.
A good start has been made to the road with top soil being stripped off in parts. It’s clear that the new road which should be completed by 2027 will have benefits for road users avoiding the constant congestion, being closed because of accidents sometimes fatal, and involving highly disruptive rat running through small villages. From an environmental point of view, it was explained that hundreds of thousands of trees will be planted, a 38-metre green bridge will be built over the road, and a significant area will be planted with rare calcareous grasses. All in all, the road should produce a net biodiversity gain which, if any road can, will enhance the landscape.
Commenting, Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown the constituency MP for the Cotswolds, covering the biggest part of the road said:
“I stood on Shurdington Hill with the then transport minister John Watts in 1996 who undertook to build the road that we christened then the Missing Link, when local people could agree on what they wanted. At that time there was a vociferous campaign for a tunnel which was always unfeasible, so for me this is a welcome outcome of 15 years of often solo persistent campaigning.”
