Botley Road was shut at the rail bridge in April last year as part of the redevelopment of Oxford’s railway station, a £116million project.
The road had been supposed to reopen temporarily from October 2023 to March 2024 but delays forced Network Rail to rethink and announce the closure would continue until October 2024.
Network Rail work in Botley Road. (Image: Oxford Mail)
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Network Rail then announced last month there would be further delays owing to the unforeseen “complexity” of the project.
Traffic has also been hit by work being carried out by Thames Water to replace damaged water mains. That has now been stepped up as work progresses to reinforce Osney Bridge.
And Oxfordshire County Council has this week announced it will be carrying out resurfacing work outside the nearby Waitrose store from Friday, which will continue until September 25 in two phases.
Andy Jones of the Westgate and Riverside Hotel in Botley Road, said: “We’re living in a building site.”
He added: “We can’t get out of Oxford one-way and now we are delayed the other way.
“It is a one-way street.
“The last few weeks have been a nightmare.”
Mr Jones said he understood reasons why the work was taking place now rather than later but questioned the timing in relation to increased traffic due to schools reopening.
Oxfordshire County Council has stated the works outside the Waitrose store would not have been possible outside of school times due to hundreds of resurfacing programmes taking place every year.
One anonymous Botley Road motorist said: “The delays on Botley Road over the last week-and-a-half have hugely impacted my commute to work.
“It’s incredibly frustrating that what used to be a 45 minute journey to work now takes me more than an hour.”
Another anonymous Oxford commuter said: “The traffic delays on Botley Road each morning are abhorrent.
“I find myself being delayed by an extra 20 minutes each morning meaning an earlier get-up to avoid being late for work every day.
“I have worked in the Botley area since the start of the year and despite the various goings-on and alterations with that road, this latest batch of delays has been the worst yet.”
The comments come as rail minister Lord Hendy assured city council leaders earlier this week he was “acutely aware” of the disruption caused generally by the Botley Road station works to motorists.
He added he would “press Network Rail closely as it continues to produce a robust plan for completion of the Botley Road bridge works and the wider Oxford station enhancement project”.
Oxford resident and journalist John Mair said of the Botley Road closure: “This has gone from being a local scandal to a national scandal.
“It is an absolute mess.
“Get it all done and quickly please.
“Oxford is a petri dish.”
An Oxfordshire County Council spokesman said: “Oxfordshire County Council carries out hundreds of resurfacing programmes every year on the 3,000 miles of roads which we are responsible for.
“It would not be possible to complete this programme if we avoided working during school term time.
“In the case of Botley Road we have been proactive to ensure resurfacing is carried while there is less traffic using this road.”
Independent Oxford Alliance (IOA) councillor David Henwood said the resurfacing work was “vital” but also questioned the timing.
He added: “The planning and execution of the works has to be questioned as back to school traffic peaks will clash, and place unnecessary pressure on Oxford’s infrastructure.
“The county’s ability to plan infrastructure delivery including the amendments to Botley Road and the railway station are at best described as amateurish and chaotic.
“Councillor Andrew Gant’s ability to deliver chaos, confusion and congestion should receive a national award.”
We approached Mr Gant for comment but did not receive a direct response.
The county council has emphasised management of the Botley Road project at the railway station is done by Network Rail not the council, and so says the delays are not its fault.
Local city Green councillor Lois Muddiman said she thought the timing of the resurfacing works made sense.
She added: “Botley Road is still a lot less busy than what it normally is – getting maintenance work out of the way makes sense.
“I live just off Botley Road and so am very aware of the amount of traffic on a daily basis.
“If we waited until the road reopened to do this work it would cause a lot more congestion.”
But the other Osney & St Thomas ward Labour councillor, Susanna Pressel, said: “To have all these road works and construction works taking place at the same time is absolutely diabolical.
“Many residents and businesses are in despair, and I’m not surprised.
“I can see why the county council thinks this is a good time to do the resurfacing work, but it will add to the frustration and fury of everyone who tries to drive along Botley Road.”
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About the author
Noor is the Local Democracy Reporter for Oxfordshire who covers political stories from across the county.
She began working as a journalist in Oxford in September 2023 having graduated from the University of Oxford.
Noor was trained at the News Associates journalism school and can be found on X through the handle @NoorJQurashi