COUNCIL leaders in Gloucestershire will lobby the Government to help fund their bid to fix the Missing Link.
The leaders of Gloucester City Council, Tewkesbury Borough Council and Gloucestershire County Council will be asked to sign a letter requesting £255million for a dual carriageway between the Cowley roundabout and Brockworth on the A417.
Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin visited the A417 Air Balloon roundabout last week to see first hand the road which has become notorious for accidents, congestion and tragic deaths.
The stretch was named by the Highways Agency on a list of roads in the South West earmarked for improvement but the decision on whether the scheme will be taken on is yet to be made.
Paul James, leader of Gloucester City Council, said: "We are well behind this campaign because although the road is outside of Gloucester, it has a big impact on the city.
"It affects our businesses and the economy of Gloucester. For example on the Gloucester Business Park it puts off businesses locating there because transport is difficult."
Jeremy Hilton, who raised the issue in a city council meeting last week, pictured, said: "The importance of securing the money cannot be underestimated. It is the main road between Gloucester and the south east of England."
The state of the road is also affecting businesses in Gloucester. Jim Rodgers, depot manager for haulage company Freightroute, based in Bristol Road, Gloucester said: "It's a brilliant idea to improve that stretch of road. If we have a time sensitive delivery to make and we get delayed then our customers won't appreciate us being late and we could lose money."
David Cooper, manager of Cooper RJ, which is based near to the A417, said: "It's absolutely vital for us that this work is done. There's always lots of traffic that trickles down to the roads near us.
"Most mornings drivers can be delayed for up to 20 minutes, and it's bad for businesses and people getting to work. There are also far too many accidents."
Tewkesbury Borough Council's leader Coun Robert Vines said: "I am delighted to pledge our support for the Missing Link campaign, and I hope our request for the funding needed for this solution will be taken very seriously by the Government."
