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Dramatic pictures show scale of £460m road project

Sarah Turnnidge
BBC News, West of England
National Highways An aerial picture shows a major road construction site in the middle of green fields. A huge amount of groundwork has been undertaken, with a number of dirt roads encircling the site. Work vehicles, including white vans and yellow trucks, appear tiny.National Highways
Construction is under way for an eight-lane, three-mile dual carriageway

Dramatic drone pictures show the scale of construction work required to build a dual carriageway.

The shots from National Highways show just one part of the £460m A417 Missing Link scheme, which will span the three miles (5km) between Gloucester and Cirencester.

In June, workers began moving 10 huge, 100-tonne steel beams into place to support what will be the largest "green bridge" in the UK, serving walkers, cyclists and horse riders as well as wildlife.

The Gloucestershire Way bridge at Shab Hill will cross the eight lanes of the dual carriageway and will be planted with native grass and hedges.

Green bridges create a safe crossing point for wildlife and join up habitats, making animal populations more resilient, according to the National Highways website.

The project is due to be completed in 2027.

National Highways Another aerial picture shows a cross-shaped section of road dug out of green fields. A huge amount of sand-coloured cleared dirt is in piles beside the new route. A steamroller can be seen on the cleared track.National Highways
The road, dug out of green fields, will connect Cirencester and Gloucester
National Highways Another aerial shot of the work, this time from a lower angle taken at around crane height, rather than a birds-eye view. The shot shows a number of huge beams, one of which is suspended by straps from a yellow crane. Lots of vehicles and temporary structures can be seen nearby. National Highways
Each of the 10 steel beams that will support the Gloucestershire Way bridge weighs 100 tonnes
National Highways An aerial shot of the area around the bridge construction, with a large yellow crane and several massive steel beams which dwarf the cars and vans parked around the site. National Highways
The bridge will span the eight lanes of the dual carriageway

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