Measures to ease traffic congestion on B4063 cycle route

Work on the B4063 cycle path is progressing well and contractors Montel are currently building the section from the M5 overbridge to Brickhampton Golf Course.

As part of these works, night-time road closures are in place in Staverton at the Bamfurlong Lane/Old Gloucester Road junction in both directions from 8pm to 6am between Monday and Friday nights, finishing at 6am Saturday mornings, so residents have access over the weekend.

The night-time closures started on Monday 9 January and finish on Saturday 21 January, with four-way temporary traffic lights in operation during the daytime.

The county council recognises that these temporary traffic lights has resulted in some disruption and apologises for any delays. We have acted on these concerns and implemented changes, including full manual operation of the lights.

Once this phase is complete, a temporary double roundabout will be in place at this junction to control the flow of traffic up until mid-April 2023, when new traffic lights will be in place.

The double roundabout will remove the need for temporary traffic lights and improve the flow of traffic in the area while works on the cycle path continue.

Work in Churchdown being carried out by Knights Brown is progressing well, with temporary traffic lights between Parton Lane and Pirton Lane. We have made adjustments to the Hare and Hounds temporary double mini-roundabout, however emergency works by National Grid on Innsworth Lane have affected journey times. This set of temporary traffic lights had not been approved by the council and has now been removed. This should lead to improvements in traffic flow.

Access is being maintained for residents and businesses for the duration of the works and a clear route remains in place for emergency services. Full details are available at www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/B4063, where you can also sign up to regular scheme bulletin updates.

The six-mile cycle track will provide a continuous off-road route for cyclists of all ages and abilities, helping to reduce traffic congestion and carbon emissions while encouraging more active travel.

Cllr David Gray, cabinet member for environment and planning, said: “It’s great to see we are making good progress on the new walking and cycling route linking Gloucester to Cheltenham. It will help to reduce carbon emissions and encourage active travel.

“We understand that the roadworks are inconvenient while the route is being built and appreciate everyone’s patience. The new double roundabout at Staverton will help to improve the flow of traffic and we will continue to monitor the situation to see if further improvements can be made.”

Project Manager Kelvin Lewis, of Montel Civil Engineering, said: “We would like to take the opportunity to thank the local community for their patience whilst the works to our section of the B4063 Gloucester to Cheltenham Cycle Improvements Scheme are ongoing. We are currently working on Staverton bridge junction which involves night-time road closures and temporary traffic lights during the day.

“We are doing everything we can to mitigate the impact from our traffic management and we will continue to keep the community updated on any future traffic management phases. We are working closely with Gloucestershire County Council to ensure that disruption and inconvenience is kept to a minimum for residents, businesses and commuters during the course of our works.”

Richard Knight, contracts manager at Knights Brown, said: “We want to thank the local community for their patience and understanding while we undertake this current phase of the B4063 Cycle Improvement scheme. We are committed to working alongside residents to help minimise disruption and delays. If you have any concerns or queries about the scheme's construction, please contact our dedicated project team on 07818 432183 or via email at B4063@knightsbrown.co.uk.”