Road to close for months for work on new cycleway

Work on the final phase of a cycleway which will connect three parts of Gloucestershire is due to begin later.

Once complete, the path along the A435 will connect Gloucester, Bishop's Cleeve and Cheltenham and provide access to the 26-mile (41km) Gloucestershire Cycle Spine, which will eventually extend to Stroud.

The third phase, from Cheltenham Racecourse Roundabout to the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway (GWSR) Bridge, is due to begin later and finish by the end of January 2026.

The work will close the A435 between Cheltenham Racecourse and Southam traffic lights from 8 June to 8 September, with the northbound lane closed until 31 October.

The first section of the route, between the Honeybourne Line and Cheltenham Racecourse, was finished in 2024.

Work on the second section to link the GWSR Bridge and the GE Roundabout, in Bishop's Cleeve, began in January and is due to be completed in autumn.

Gloucestershire County Council said the scheme would "deliver significant cycling and walking improvements" as well as "essential" repairs to the GWSR Bridge.

It said diversion routes will be in place during the A435 Evesham Road closure and advised people to plan their journeys in advance.

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