IFFLEY ROAD: 'This was the worst road in the city'

“It is fair to say that when we embarked on the Iffley Road scheme in mid-2011, the route was by far and away the main road in Oxford, and perhaps even Oxfordshire as a whole, that needed attention the most urgently.

“It was worn-out and in a poor state of repair and we needed to move in and do a proper repair job between The Plain roundabout and Donnington Bridge Road.

“We couldn’t just do a superficial resurfacing job. We needed and wanted to roll up our sleeves as a council and get in and do a comprehensive job to reconstruct the whole carriageway to some depth to set solid foundations for years to come.

“The first phase, from The Plain to Henley Street, was completed on November 23, 2011.

“The second phase – between Henley Street and Donnington Bridge Road – began on January 9, after a pause so that there was no disruption for traders during the busy Christmas shopping period.

“Apart from the necessary reconstruction of the carriageway, we have also taken the chance to improve drainage and kerbing as well as refurbishing some areas of footway, and installing a zebra crossing near Percy Street.

“We have also improved the junctions of the side roads to make it easier for pedestrians to cross them, and extended the northbound cycle lane to Donnington Bridge Road.

“Whenever we embark on major roadworks of this nature at the council we always take a deep breath in the knowledge that there is no way of completing such work without there being disruption for residents and motorists and bus users.

“The trick is to try to minimise that disruption as much as possible and I hope we achieved that.

“With the Iffley Road job now complete, I would ask people to think back to a year ago and before when the surface of the Iffley Road was in poor condition.

“I would particularly like to thank local residents and motorists for their forbearance and perseverance. We do completely understand the day-to-day inconvenience.”