More delays to road closure but end is in sight

There has been another delay to reopening part of a major road that closed in September.

Work started then to fix a huge structural issue on the A40 at Charlton Kings in Cheltenham after a bridge, thought to have been designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, collapsed.

It was hoped one lane of the road would have reopened by now, but Gloucestershire County Council has revealed that now won't be until next year.

The closure has affected residents and businesses either side of the roadworks.

After the latest announcement of a delay the BBC asked to go and see the scale of the problem and the council let us in with our cameras.

Its fair to say its a huge site with a huge engineering scheme underway that's now cost more than £1m, funded by the county council and the Department of Transport (DfT).

Councillor Joe Harris (Liberal Democrat), the cabinet member responsible for highways, said the council is disappointed about the extra delays but was faced with a number of unexpected challenges.

"There's that old saying that 'plans never survive contact with the enemy' and in this instance we've dug into the ground and we've found utilities that we didn't know were there.

"We've had about seven metres of sand that we've had to try and contend with which obviously isn't a great foundation for building any structures."

When we were there teams were pouring tons of concrete into huge structures to stabilise the road.

But hopes that at least one side of the road could have reopened to traffic by now have been quashed.

"Unfortunately we've had to push that into the new year," said Mr Harris. "We are hoping that this scheme will be finished in the spring and certainly before the Cheltenham races that's for sure."

It's more unwelcome news for the residents and businesses who live and work either side of the roadworks.

Shops and cafes say their footfall has dropped significantly due to no passing traffic, and diversions are also clogging up parts of Charlton Kings during the rush hour.

Molly Maythorn, who works at the Sixways Wine Bar on London Road, said it has been much quieter than normal.

"There's not many people walking past as there would be normally, so they're not going to see it.

"It's not like we're like a big brand or chain where like our name's everywhere and people want to come here.

"If the road's closed or people aren't walking, you aren't going to see us."

Mr Harris said he appreciates how difficult it has been for the businesses while the work is carried out.

"Clearly my heart goes out to them. It's incredibly frustrating but these works are ultimately about saving the A40.

"My message to people is thank you for your patience and I'm acutely aware of the challenges that this scheme has brought."

Follow BBC Gloucestershire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.