The new circular route includes Abbey Road, Cripley Place and Cripley Road, and a bus turning circle is required because part of Botley Road needs to be sealed off and dug up for Thames Water investigation work.
Parking for residents is being suspended, and it is understood they have been told they can park in the Becket Street station car park instead.
READ MORE: Fresh closure on Botley Road is announced
Botley Road has been closed at the rail bridge since April last year as part of a £161m scheme to revamp the station.
This includes replacing the rail bridge, rerouting utility pipes and cables under the road, and building a new platform to boost east west rail links.
In July, Network Rail announced the road will not reopen as planned at the end of next month, and a series of options for the scheme are now being investigated.
(Image: Oxford Mail) Earlier this month, transport minister Lord Hendy, of the Department for Transport, wrote to council leaders to say he was “acutely aware” of the disruption the closure is causing.
Now the rail authority is putting the bus diversion in place as Thames Water needs to dig trial holes in the road to see if a water mains connection point can be moved.
This Thames Water work is expected to last a month, with the bus diversions starting on Monday.
The water company’s work could last for a further two months after the dig has been completed.
Residents are hoping Network Rail will soon announce a schedule for the reopening of Botley Road but this has not yet taken place.
“Thames Water have apparently only just realised that there is not enough space to connect them up outside the hotel. They will now be digging trial holes outside The One restaurant.
“This means closing that section of Botley Road and rerouting all traffic, including the buses, round through Abbey Road, Cripley Place and Cripley Road.”
Julian Le Vay, of residents’ group West Oxford Access, said Abbey Road and Cripley Road were not designed for “heavy traffic, fumes and noise at all hours”.
He added: “There are no parking places, and my wife has trouble walking.
“Network Rail is totally out of control. Each week they improvise a new outrage.”
Following the bus diversion trial, Oxford Bus Company staff said there were “no issues” with the diversion.
Network Rail said in letters to residents the parking suspension and bus diversion would initially run from September 30 to November 1.
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About the author
Andy is the Trade and Tourism reporter for the Oxford Mail and you can sign up to his newsletters for free here.
He joined the team more than 20 years ago and he covers community news across Oxfordshire.
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