A417 road (Great Britain)

A417
The A417 Brockworth bypass with Gloucester in the distance
Route information
Length:	96.9 mi (155.9 km)
Major junctions
Southeast end:	Streatley, Berkshire 51°31′31″N 1°08′57″W / 51.5253°N 1.1493°W / 51.5253; -1.1493
	M5 motorway M50 motorway A329 road A338 road A419 road A420 road A361 road A429 road A435 road A436 road A46 road A38 road A40 road A449 road A438 road A4103 road A465 road A49 road
Northwest end:	Hope Under Dinmore 52°10′26″N 2°42′55″W / 52.1738°N 2.7153°W / 52.1738; -2.7153
Location
Primary destinations:	Cirencester Gloucester Wantage
Road network
Roads in the United Kingdom Motorways A and B road zones

The A417 is a main road in England running from Streatley, Berkshire to Hope under Dinmore, Herefordshire. It is best known for its section between Cirencester and Gloucester where it has primary status and forms part of the link between the major settlements of Swindon and Gloucester.

When the A417 was first designated in 1922, it ran only from Streatley to Cirencester. In 1935 it was extended to Gloucester, on the former route of the A419, and on to Ledbury and Hope under Dinmore.

There have been numerous upgrades and bypasses, particularly on the primary section. At Faringdon, its traditional route over Folly Hill and down through the market place has been blocked by the more recent development of the A420 and has been diverted to the south. The Birdlip bypass, opened in 1988, avoided a very steep (16%) gradient as the road descended the Cotswold Edge escarpment to Brockworth.

It runs from Streatley at its junction with the A329 (between Reading and Wallingford) to Wantage, over the picturesque Berkshire Downs. In Wantage, it negotiates the market place (around King Alfred's statue and thence to Faringdon, via Stanford in the Vale. It leads on to Lechlade, where it crosses the River Thames. It then runs past the Cotswold Water Park, through Fairford to Cirencester and thence to Gloucester.