A UK retiree living next to a new major road project will access his home through a “private” tunnel — that could cost up to $7.5 million.
Brian Garlick has been forced out of his home alongside the A417 Missing Link — a 3-mile-long highway under construction between Gloucester and Cirencester.
But he says the government agency National Highways has withdrawn an offer of $940,000 to buy the property, so he will be stuck with it after the project is completed in 2027.
And he said he was shocked at hearing that the safest way to access his home when the road eventually opens would be through a specially built tunnel — costing between $5 million and $7.5 million.
Without its construction, Garlick won’t be able to go anywhere.
He explained that the tunnel is planned to be a quarter of a mile from his house — but the details of its dimensions have yet to be decided.
Garlick, 69, who now lives alone in a trailer park during the building phase, must give 21 days’ notice to access the home he was born in.
Garlick said: “At first I was a little bit shocked (when they suggested a tunnel) and a little bit over the top, but when you looked at it, there was no real other alternative for them to do it.
“If they had paid me out like they initially said, that would have been it.”
Garlick said he initially hoped to sell his mother and granfather’s 1950s house to National Highways, but has been told the agency was “unable” to buy it.
The authority said the underpass had always been planned to allow access to two telephone poles and help with drainage in the area.
The spokesperson added that while National Highways did initially discuss buying Garlick’s property, it was later confirmed that it sits outside the scheme boundary and therefore it “had no viable route to do so.”
But Garlick said one offer had been made and later withdrawn.
He added: “The way they have handled everything has been absolutely diabolic.
“I live in a fifth-wheel caravan — and I had to buy it myself. The contractors are only paying for the costs of the campsite fees and the petrol.
“I still have to pay the council tax, electricity and all the bills for the house.
“I have never had an apology from National Highways. They only came to the house in June and said the time has run out and we are not doing anything else. I haven’t heard anything from National Highways from then until now.”
The project costing $577 million is meant to reduce traffic congestion at the single-lane bottleneck stretch past Birdlip and is scheduled for completion in 2027.
Until then, Garlick is living in his trailer by himself.
He said: “When it is all done, the roads will be far better. The actual tunnel will make it safer. Don’t know how the noise levels are going to be. They say they won’t do any extra glazing until one year and one day of the road being officially open.
“You got to live with it for a year and then if there is noise here, we are going to have to wait one year.”
The A417 Missing Link program manager for National Highways, Steve Foxley, said, “We had lengthy discussions with Garlick ahead of construction regarding any disruption to him and agreed a way forward that worked for both parties.
“We will continue to do our best to address any concerns and to minimize any impacts to the community and residents from our work on the scheme.”
National Highways said it wouldn’t be specific on the cost of individual elements of the plan but added that the underpass, which has to meet design standards, will also provide access to the telephone poles and emergency services.
The spokesperson added, “There was always going to be an underpass, and we are currently progressing the final design.”
