Contractors behind a major £12.5m infrastructure overhaul across Headington yesterday unveiled plans for the first phase of works for the first time.

Residents have less than four weeks until the scheme gets underway with the first road works expected to begin on October 17.

The Oxfordshire County Council-led Access to Headington scheme, which was first given the go ahead in June, will see new cycle lanes, pedestrian crossings, waiting times and parking bays from Marsh Lane to Horspath.

The contractor for the project, Skanska, unveiled plans for the first phase at a public exhibition at Oxford University’s Richard Doll Building yesterday.

County councillor Roz Smith has warned, however, that delays for residents are inevitable and questioned how the plans were presented to the public.

She said: “It is a bit of a shame that the county council didn’t update the website and instead used the [Richard Doll Building] to show the plans. I think it’s a bit of a shame.

“I think it could possibly be quite an impact on commuters and local residents because it’s the roads leading into Headington and local residents will still need to move around Headington.

“They are going to be impacted by this.

“Inevitably if you have to dig up the road then you are going to get some delays in Headington.

“There are lots of new residents coming in who won’t have the knowledge or history about it and I do thank the Oxford Mail for publicising that, it’s a big help.”

Oxford city councillor Ruth Wilkinson said: “I only got to hear about [yesterday’s] meeting via a third party – a shame as I could have got the message out to more people.

“We’ve had an assurance that the Access to Headington Roosevelt Drive works will have first priority regarding traffic management but once that’s done the county council will prioritise the energy pipe works at Churchill Drive.

“We are pressing the county council to set up a Headington roadworks web page giving updated news on which roads are open and which are affected by works, so that visitors to the hospital sites can look up the best route to take.”

The county council said that the event was held specifically for Oxford University and a further public exhibition will be held with a date to be confirmed.

The first phase will see a new lane exit from Roosevelt Drive, signal light and pedestrian crossing upgrades, improvements to cycling facilities, advanced stop lines for cyclists at each section of the junction, and upgraded street lighting.

The programme will last 23 months in four separate phases, with work six days a week.