A MAJOR A road is due to close for five months, sparking commuter chaos.
The work, which is due to start in May, has been given the green light so a cycleway can be improved.
The A435 Cheltenham to Bishop’s Cleeve Cycleway won’t be complete until August 2025.
The road will be closed in both directions between the Cheltenham Racecourse roundabout and the Hyde Lane/Southam Lane junction.
The Gloucestershire Cycle Spine, which has been set to encourage more commuters in the area to hop on a bike instead of their car, will provide a 26-mile stretch.
The scheme will run between Bishop’s Cleeve and Stroud.
Gloucestershire County Council has said the closures are “necessary for the successful and safe completion of the project.”
The project started at the end of 2024 between Honeybourne Line and Cheltenham Racecourse roundabout.
The road will close on 19 May and will reopen on 22 August.
As well as a cycleway, there will be a footpath with a protection buffer zone.
This comes after another major A road was closed after a hydraulic fluid spillage.
Commuters travelling along the A46 in Warwickshire were hit with delays after the incident on March 14.
[authenticated-scripts src=”%3Cscript%20class%3D%22palin-poll%22%20src%3D%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thesun.co.uk%2Fpollingwidgets%2Fv3%2Fwidget.js%3Fquestion_id%3D109646%26game%3Dpolling%22%3E%3C%2Fscript%3E” type=”embedded” width=”100″ /]The busy carriageway was closed southbound between the A439 and the A3400.
National Highways confirmed the spillage had damaged the road surface.
A National Highways spokesperson said: “Due to a large hydraulic fluid spillage, the #A46 is closed southbound between the #A439 (#Marraway) and the #A3400 (#Bishipton).
“The road is likely to remain closed throughout the day.”
Traffic was diverted via local routes and drivers were urged to allow for extra time for their journeys.
