Archaeologists will be working with contractors to chart the history around the route of the delayed £460m A417 ‘Missing Link’ scheme in Gloucestershire ahead of the start of construction.
The scheme, also known as the ‘Air Balloon’ scheme, will dual a three-mile stretch of single-lane carriageway between the Brockworth bypass and Cowley roundabout.
National Highways said that Oxford Cotswold Archaeology (OCA) will work closely with Kier as part of the scheme and aims to excavate 33 hectares of land in 27 research areas.
It said it is hoped that the team could find archaeology dating back to the Bronze Age, Iron Age, and Roman period, with all work overseen by the county archaeologist and Historic England.
The team has already undertaken survey work ahead of the Development Consent Order for the scheme being granted and, during trial trenching, a Roman Cupid figurine (above) and brooch were uncovered, along with a Roman or early Saxon skeleton.
OCA will continue to showcase any artefacts found and a report will be published, preserving the information for generations to come.
National Highways project director Michael Goddard said: ‘Construction won’t start until later this year, but in the meantime, there’s a lot of groundwork to be done – such as site preparations, environmental mitigation, including the installation of wildlife fencing and bat boxes, and renewed archaeological investigations.
‘Gloucestershire and the Cotswolds have a rich cultural heritage, and the team will bring their expertise to bear in adding to that history. In keeping with National Highways’ approach to protecting the country’s cultural heritage, we will ensure that archaeological remains are preserved and recorded.’
OCA project manager, Alex Thomson, said: ‘During our previous evaluation trenching we identified features of Neolithic, Iron Age, Roman, Saxon, medieval, post-medieval, and modern date, so we’re clear that the area really is rich with archaeological potential.'
Construction work on the scheme was previously due to start during the current financial year but was put back to quarter two of 2023-24.
In its Annual Assessment of National Highways' performance 2021-22, the Office of Rail and Road listed the scheme as one of two missed commitments.
It noted that the company had said it had undertaken additional consultation with several stakeholders, which resulted in significant design changes, but observed: ‘National Highways should have foreseen these issues and mitigated them beforehand.’
