A BUSY cycle path will be closed for the next two weeks while its pot-holed surface is replaced.

The off-road path between Ferry Road in Marston and South Parks Road has been closed since Monday, when work began to lay a new foundation on the stretch between the river and the city centre end of the route.

The cyclists and pedestrians who use it have been advised to travel along Marston Road, St Clement's and the High Street as there is no other access to the University Parks from Marston.

David Robertson, Oxfordshire County Council's cabinet member for transport, said: "Because the route is so popular with people walking and cycling into Oxford, we realise that it's unfortunate we have to close it even for such a short time.

"Having said that, the surface is wearing out quickly and so we really do need to fix it as soon as possible.

"When we've done that, people will see that the short term inconvenience will have been well worth it."

The route, which skirts the edge of the Parks, was made possible more than 15 years ago thanks to an agreement between Oxford University, which owns the land, and the county council.

But in recent years the gravel surface has started to wear out and has become very pot-holed and bumpy, with puddles forming because rainwater does not drain off the surface.

The county council intends to create a sturdier foundation for the path and lay a durable gravel surface which will not be so badly affected by wet weather.

City councillor for Marston Mary Clarkson, who uses the path on a daily basis, said: "It is very inconvenient while it is shut. I think it will be great when it is done. So many people use it, and it will make it much safer to cycle through at night."

County council senior transport planner Craig Rossington said the path was set to become an even more important transport route when 1,200 NHS staff moved from the Radcliffe Infirmary in Jericho to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Headington in January.

He said: "One of the reasons we are trying to promote this route is because it is a fairly strategic route for people not only to Marston, but also to Headington."

The county council and the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals Trust have also invested £500,000 in two new bus-only entrances to the John Radcliffe Hospital, in Osler Road in Headington and Saxon Way in Northway.

There have also been a number of new cycle routes and footpaths to and across the hospital site laid down, as well as a new 150-space pay car park constructed.