Road reopening beset by delays pushed back again

The reopening of a major traffic route in the centre of Oxford has been delayed further, three years after it first closed.

Botley Road had been due to reopen at the end of August, having first closed in April 2023 for work on a £161m project to upgrade Oxford Railway Station.

But on Wednesday, Network Rail announced that the route would now not reopen as planned next month after gas leaks were uncovered during recent excavation.

The delay is the latest for a project beset by setbacks, and leaves question marks over Oxfordshire County Council's plans to replace the temporary congestion charge with traffic filters to coincide with the route's reopening.

Announcing the delay, Network Rail said to "avoid disruptive and unplanned work to repair potential gas leaks in the future" it had agreed to allow SGN to replace a section of its network beneath Botley Road.

It said the work would likely take "around four to six weeks," and that it was "working closely with SGN to confirm a new reopening date for the road".

The delay is the latest setback for the scheme, which had initially been due to be completed in October 2024 but has been mired with issues - ranging from archaeological finds to the discovery of a Second World War grenade.

On the latest setback, Tim Walden, from Network Rail, said: "We know this news will be deeply disappointing for residents, businesses and everyone who relies on Botley Road, and we're very sorry for the continued disruption and uncertainty this will cause."

"Our teams, across SGN and Network Rail, are working as hard as possible to complete the remaining work and minimise delays, while keeping the community informed with regular updates."

"We expect the additional work to take around four to six weeks and are currently working on a plan so we can confirm the timings as quickly as possible."

The update raises questions over Oxford's temporary congestion charge, which had been due to be replaced by permanent traffic filters upon the Botley Road reopening.

Oxfordshire County Council has been contacted for a comment.