Drivers from Banbury to Oxford and A34 warned of emergency closure today

Motorists are being advised that the closure of part of the A34 west of Oxford is likely to be in force for much of the day following the overnight road traffic collision and fire which has resulted in damage to safety barriers and the surface of the carriageway.

The A34 is closed in both directions between its junctions with the A420 at Botley and A423 at Hinksey. National Highways is at the scene working to recover a lorry involved in the blaze and to carry out barrier repairs and resurfacing. The incident happened shortly before 2am on the northbound carriageway and has resulted in damage on both sides of the road.

The northbound carriageway is likely to remain closed into this afternoon for extensive resurfacing while barrier repairs will need to take place on both sides of the road. National Highways is assessing whether it can re-open a lane along the southbound carriageway but both carriageways are currently fully-closed between the two interchanges.

A diversion is in place but drivers planning to use this section of the A34 are advised to seek alternative routes or delay journeys.

Drivers travelling southbound and wishing to use the diversion should follow the ‘solid triangle’ from Botley interchange to the A34 Milton interchange mainly using the A420 and A338 west of the A34.

Drivers heading north should follow the ‘solid diamond’ diversion in place from Hinksey Hill interchange to the A34 Peartree interchange mainly using the A40 and A44 east and north of the city centre via the southern and eastern bypasses.

Live traffic information is always available at www.trafficengland.com or from National Highways’ 24-7 customer contact centre at 0300 123 5000. Updates will also be posted to @HighwaysEast – National Highways’ regional X (Twitter) feed.