en.Wedoany.com Reported - Gloucestershire County Council is set to approve the start of the main construction phase of the M5 motorway Junction 10 improvement scheme, with project costs rising to £372 million.

The council's cabinet will consider the matter at a meeting tomorrow (10 June). A council statement shows the project cost is £372 million, up from the £363 million estimate in September 2025. An officer's report submitted for the meeting states the current budget for the works is £407 million, which includes two smaller projects not previously included in the plan. When Galliford Try signed an early contractor involvement agreement in June 2023, the project budget was £293 million.

The report says the main contract has not yet been awarded, and a "deed of variation to enter into the main contract terms with the early contractor involvement contractor" is needed to secure the negotiated contract terms.

The project, located between Cheltenham and Tewkesbury, includes remodelling the M5 Junction 10, building a new road linking the junction to west Cheltenham, widening the A4019 east of Junction 10, and providing footways and cycleways for non-motorised traffic on local roads.

The £407 million budget also includes the completed Arle Court transport hub in Cheltenham and the currently paused Coombe Hill A38/A4019 junction improvement scheme. Most of the project funding comes from the Housing Infrastructure Fund of Homes England, aimed at facilitating the construction of over 20,000 new homes, as well as the Golden Valley development in Cheltenham—which will include a technology hub called the National Cyber Innovation Centre. Other funding sources include the community infrastructure levy and section 106 contributions.

Julian Tooke, Gloucestershire County Council's cabinet member for planning and infrastructure, said the project is transformative for Gloucestershire, and reaching this stage reflects years of work securing funding, permissions, and a viable plan, bringing the project closer to starting main construction, which will deliver long-term benefits for the county. The actual completion date is set for spring 2029.

Construction News contacted Galliford Try for comment.

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