Work to improve county roadways, including Oxford Road in Banbury to continue

The government has stated councils should carry on with work to improve and make roads safe as long as it can be done within Public Health England guidance.

County Councillor Liam Walker, cabinet member for Highways Delivery and Operations, said: “The first priority is safety. That means safety for the workforce and the public, but we also have to keep the roads safe and that’s why this work is so important.

“Even during the current restrictions the roads are being used and that is why work to repair potholes and other safety related problems has not stopped.

“Providing we can work safely on the larger maintenance projects like road resurfacing, the fact that roads are far quieter in terms of vehicles and passers by is an advantage.

“We are working closely with our contractors to assess each site before making decisions on where we will be working.”

Repair programme still being rolled out across Oxfordshire

This means that Oxfordshire County Council’s £32m capital investment for this financial year into improving roads, bridges, drainage, pavements and streetlights is under way.

Big projects on the programme for the coming months year include Oxford Road in Banbury, Northcourt Road in Abingdon, Burwell Drive and West End in Witney, Worcester Street, Hythe Bridge Street and George Street in Oxford.

At the moment teams are out carrying out surface dressing work on local roads across the county. This technique extends the life of the road surface and provides a new waterproof layer and improved grip for vehicles.

Transport improvement work progress

Work in Headley Way, Oxford to construct cycleways and side road entry treatments on the Access to Headington Scheme and also to construct cycleways and resurface the carriageway on the A361 Safety Scheme between Bloxham and Banbury continues.

Working in compliance with the PHE Guidance and Compliance with COVID-19 Social Distancing means that the contractor will take longer to complete the work. We are ensuring that disruption is kept to a minimum on these roads.

Surveying, ground investigations and design continues for future work on the A34 Lodge Hill junction near Abingdon and for work on the A40 west of Wolvercote.

Respect for road crews

There have been recent reports of road crews receiving abuse and criticism from members of the public.

The government has classified a number of roles within the transport industry as key to delivering essential service during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. This includes highways maintenance workers.

Oxfordshire Cllr Walker added: “I urge our local communities to observe social distancing and not to approach our highways maintenance crews. Many of them are delivering critical work and should be applauded for their service during these uncertain times.”

If anyone sees working on the roads – whether it’s council teams or people working for utility companies - they are performing a vital service. Please observe social distancing rules.

Keep reporting problems

Although the use of the roads has fallen dramatically in recent weeks anyone who encounters safety-related problems like potholes can still report them direct to the council via https://fixmystreet.oxfordshire.gov.uk/

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