Highways bosses have started the hunt for a contractor to deliver almost £18 million of improvements to the pivotal Elmbridge Court roundabout on the A40.
The roundabout, widely recognised as the busiest in all of Gloucestershire, will be radically altered under plans drawn up by the county council.
And Shire Hall has now agreed to start the tender process to find a company to do the work which should start in the summer of next year.
The Elmbridge Court roundabout is at the Gloucester end of the A40 between the city and Cheltenham.
Councillor Vernon Smith (C, Tewkesbury East), cabinet member for highways, said: “This is fantastic news that we have started moving from the planning and design phase to appointing a contractor to take this forward.
“It is a congestion hotspot on the A40 at the moment.”
The works will see new intelligent traffic lights installed, a hamburger lane put in through the middle of the roundabout for traffic heading from Cheltenham to the Forest of Dean and the creation of a new park and ride facility.