Business owners have criticised Oxfordshire County Council and National Highways for allowing major roadwork projects to overlap, saying it has caused a “complete disaster” with delays of up to an hour and five-mile queues of traffic.
Congestion caused by the closure of Botley Road to through-traffic were compounded at the weekend by the closure of the southbound carriageway of the A34 for repairs to the Wolvercote Viaduct, causing gridlock through surrounding villages.
The road between Botley and Peartree interchanges will be shut for a further six weekends this month and next.
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Jams continued this week with the closure of a lane for work on a gas main near Botley, with five miles of congestion back to Islip.
Gas distribution company SGN has revealed a full A34 southbound closure will also be necessary.
Last weekend, villagers in Wolvercote and Wytham reported traffic mayhem as motorists took alternative routes following delays and an accident on an official diversion route via the Eastern Bypass and A40.
Parents complained of being unable to pick up their children and residents expressed fears over emergency service vehicles getting stuck in the jams.
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While the closures were made by National Highways, county council staff were consulted and informed in advance.
Cabinet member for highways Andrew Gant said he would be meeting with National Highways officers to ensure the problem was not repeated.
There were further delays due to roadworks on the A4074 Oxford to Henley road at Benson.
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In the city, meanwhile, motorists and bus users continue to suffer lengthy delays caused by Network Rail’s closure of Botley Road – the principle route into the city from the west.
A six-month closure of the key city route began last month to allow Network Rail to commence preparation work on a multi-million pound redevelopment of Oxford station.
It will close for a similar period next year.
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Oxford West and Abingdon MP Layla Moran demanded an emergency summit with the council and Network Rail after she was told by constituents that Botley Road had become “chaotic and dangerous”.
The council responded by moving a bus stop.
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Network Rail exclusively revealed to The Oxford Times that it had considered not closing the road, instead keeping a single carriageway open to minimise disruption.
However the rail infrastructure body and the county council agreed to block the road completely, saying a partial closure could have extended work to 17 months.
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Matthew Alden, the managing director of the 230-year-old Alden Butchers on Osney Mead, West Oxford, described the council’s lack of coordination with utility companies and National Highways as a “complete disaster” which had come at huge “inconvenience and cost” to his business.
He said: “The complete disaster at the moment is the council allowing three major sets of roadworks to happen at the same time.
"I was in Portsmouth earlier and I got to Osney Mead quicker than some people coming from Bicester”.
A county council spokesman said that “while the county council fully sympathises with local businesses and will do all it can to help, Network Rail and National Highways are responsible for the roadworks on the A34 and on the Botley Road”.
Mr Alden said keeping one lane open on Botley Road would have been better for businesses who were now suffering.
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He said: “In keeping one lane open, traffic would need to be controlled, but this would be feasible as Network Rail has enough staff controlling pedestrians and buses.”
He said the consequences of the Botley Road closure had been “devastating” for his business and staff and customers were suffering.
He said: “If people want to come to my business, then how would they get here?
"I have had staff stuck on the A34, already an hour late for work. They are getting stressed out.
"Everybody is being tipped over the edge and this traffic disruption is not a one-off.”
Mr Alden said the A34 closures added to Oxford’s “transport woes” and said he was now considering his future in the city.
He said: “I want to invest in my business, but I am questioning whether Oxford is the right place due to the constant traffic issues.”
He called on the council to sort out the traffic mess with the utility companies and show “some leadership and regard for business”.
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Zach Iqbal, who owns the First Stop Spanner Works garage in Ferry Hinksey Road, described the council and Network Rail’s decision to not keep one lane open on Botley Road as “hurtful”.
He said: “The decision not to go ahead with a single lane closure is hurtful and disrespectful to my business.
“Businesses are on their knees because of the cost of living crisis.
"This is costing people a lot of money.
"People are suffering; it took two hours to commute each day because of the insane amount of traffic.”
A Network Rail spokesman said that due to the need to dig “very large and deep holes in a tightly constrained space” it was necessary to close Botley Road so work could be carried out safely.
He added: “This major project needs to be completed by the end of 2024, to allow for the start of East-West rail services, that will give Oxford and Oxfordshire even greater connectivity.”
Confirming a full southbound closure of the A34, an SGN spokesman said: “Due to where our gas main is located in the road, we now need to complete the final stages of our project under a full southbound road closure.
"This will be done at a later date because of other planned works in the area.”
National Highways promised to “try to minimise disruption to the local community”.
A spokesman said: “The work is being carried out overnight and at weekends to reduce the impact on local road users.”
A county council spokesman said: “If local businesses wish to complain about the timing clash they should direct those complaints to the government departments who have made the decisions on timings.
“The council is the wrong organisation to be seeking to hold to account for this. The council expressed concerns to National Highways about the timing of the A34 closures in light of the work on the Botley Road and the Nuneham viaduct situation, but we have no authority to alter the timings.
“However, it has been agreed that after this weekend, SGN’s work on the A34 involving a southbound lane closure will be rescheduled for October, once the Botley Road reopens.”
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Ed specialises in writing political stories for the Oxford Mail and The Oxford Times.
He joined in the team in February 2023, after completing a History undergraduate degree at the University of York and studying for his NCTJ diploma in London.
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