Drivers on the A34 in Oxfordshire can now use the new Wolvercote Viaduct without any restrictions after a two-year project to replace the 1960s structure draws to a close – two months ahead of schedule.

As of today, the viaduct now has two lanes in both directions running at full width and at the national speed limit after worked started in 2008 to demolish and rebuild the viaduct, originally built over forty years ago, with a new structure designed to last for another 120 years.

The Wolvercote Viaduct carries the A34 between the Midlands and the South Coast over the Oxford-to-Birmingham railway line, the Oxford Canal and the A40. The Highways Agency kept the road open virtually at all times during the work, using an innovative construction technique that included sliding a 5,000-tonne bridge deck into position over one night in March.

Highways Agency project manager Ian Johnson said: “We are delighted at how well this project has gone. Our engineers have worked extremely hard throughout the last two years to keep delays to road users to an absolute minimum, and keep traffic around Oxford flowing.”

Work underneath the bridge continues, with some restrictions remaining on the A40 until the project is completed in August.