The south-westerly section of the Benson Relief Road, which will make it easier travel to the Cala housing development, was opened to all users on December 18.

The relief road will see traffic directed away from the village via an alternative route, north of the area, and provide the new housing developments to the north of Benson village with direct access to the A4074 and B4009.

Congestion on Benson high street (Image: Benson Parish Council) The northern section of the road is already complete and parts of the middle section are currently under construction.

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These are being delivered by the various housing developers on site. The entire route is anticipated to be open to all traffic in 2026.

Councillor Judy Roberts, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Infrastructure and Development Strategy, said: “The Benson Relief Road is a central piece of new infrastructure for the village and a vital tool to reducing through traffic in the village centre.

“It incorporates measures to encourage cycling and walking locally, which helps reduce car usage in the village, lessening congestion, local emissions and adverse air quality.”

Construction of the section of the road that connects to Oxford Road, and a flood compensation area, as the section sits within a flood zone, was carried out by Milestone Infrastructure on behalf of the council and took 13 months to complete.

Archaeological surveys of the site during the early part of construction uncovered an ancient well, while wildlife-friendly structures (mammal shelves and an otter tunnel) and a wildlife wetland habitat were installed to protect and improve the overall local biodiversity.

Aerial view of the newly completed section of Benson Relief Road (Image: OCC) As part of the decommissioning of the site compound, two electric vehicle charging points and a defibrillator have been donated to Benson Parish Council and relocated to Benson parish hall for local residents to use.

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Members of the project’s construction team also gave their time to help build a pergola for the Benson Community Gardens.

Councillor Roberts added: “I am delighted to say that we have delivered our section of the road on time and on budget.

“Through the fantastic efforts of our project and construction delivery teams, we have also saved approximately 203 tonnes of carbon. This equates to 127 return flights from London to New York.”

Carbon saving activities on the scheme included using recycled material where possible on site, reusing material, such as fill or topsoil across the scheme, and minor design changes to reduce the impact of the scheme on the local environment.