Road beset by reopening delays has date moved again

The reopening of a major traffic route in the centre of Oxford has been delayed further, three years after it first closed.

Botley Road had been due to reopen at the end of August, having first closed in April 2023 for work on a £161m project to upgrade Oxford Railway Station.

But, on Wednesday, Network Rail apologised and said the route would now not reopen as planned after gas leaks were uncovered during recent excavation, adding work would likely take "around four to six weeks".

The delay is the latest setback for the project and will also push back Oxfordshire County Council's plans to replace the temporary congestion charge with traffic filters to coincide with the route's reopening.

Announcing the delay, Network Rail said to "avoid disruptive and unplanned work to repair potential gas leaks in the future" it had agreed to allow gas distributor SGN to replace a section of its network beneath Botley Road.

It said it was "working closely with SGN to confirm a new reopening date for the road".

The delay is the latest setback for the scheme, which had initially been due to be completed in October 2024 but which has been faced with issues - ranging from archaeological finds to the discovery of a Second World War grenade.

On the latest setback, Tim Walden, from Network Rail, said: "We know this news will be deeply disappointing for residents, businesses and everyone who relies on Botley Road, and we're very sorry for the continued disruption and uncertainty this will cause."

"Our teams, across SGN and Network Rail, are working as hard as possible to complete the remaining work and minimise delays, while keeping the community informed with regular updates.

"We expect the additional work to take around four to six weeks and are currently working on a plan so we can confirm the timings as quickly as possible."

The update raises questions over Oxford's temporary congestion charge, which had been due to be replaced by permanent traffic filters upon the Botley Road reopening.

Oxfordshire County Council said this would remain the case, with the traffic filter trial being delayed until after the route had reopened.

Responding to Wednesday's announcement, the council's transport chief, Gareth Epps, said: "This is frustrating news for residents and businesses who have endured this closure for far too long as it is."

"As Network Rail has not released a revised opening date for Botley Road, we currently cannot say when our traffic filter trial will start and the temporary congestion charge will end."

"We will make an announcement in due course, once we can be certain about the reopening."