THE first major work to make a £120m Oxford flood relief channel a reality could begin next month after Network Rail waded in to support the scheme.

The rail firm has put forward plans to raise the track near Hinksey and agreed to widen a culvert beneath so the four-mile channel could pass under the railway.

The proposed route from Botley Road to Sandford-on-Thames would need to cross the railway tracks at some point.

But the exact route, which will determine whether the channel should pass beneath the railway at the point where Network Rail is installing its culverts, will only be decided after the public give their views on a series of options for the channel.

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Network Rail’s plans to raise the track at Hinksey were previously separate to the Environment Agency’s channel but the company has now agreed to combine the works.

A statement accompanying the plans said: “Due to the synergy between the two schemes it was agreed by the Environment Agency (EA) and Network Rail that while constructing the culvert required to raise the track, Network Rail could secure the route of the EA’s proposed channel through the railway embankment at the same time by increasing the size of the culvert.”

The rail company revealed that the agency had lobbied them during Hinksey scheme’s consultation process.

Preparatory work on the project will start on February 21, and it is expected to be completed by the end of September.

As part of the £18m project, the railway will need to be closed for 16 days in July and August while the track is raised.

The rail company’s scheme will aim to prevent flooding which has caused 11 closures over the past 14 years.

The 400m section of track will be raised by an average 400mm while a total of 1200m will be raised between Hinksey Stream next to Redbridge Hollow and Hinksey Drain.

Residents will finally get to see where the £120m flood channel could go at a series of public events later this month.

The EA will reveal possible routes for the four-mile channel at five drop-in sessions starting tomorrow at Oxford Town Hall.

Visitors will be asked to vote for their preferred options and a final scheme will be drawn up and presented to the public in the summer.

The EA said that it would be able to make use of Network Rail’s culverts so long as the public voted for a route for the channel that would go under the railway at that point.

Laura Littleton, principal engagement officer on the Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme said: “The project team has developed a series of route options for the flood relief channel which they will be presenting for public consultation later this month.”

Construction on the channel itself could begin in 2018 and is expected to take about three years.

The channel could begin operating in Spring 2021.