5 mile diversion near Bicester while road closed over 4 days

Highway workmen will shut the Oxford Road in Middleton Stoney later this week for four days while surface dressing works is carried out.

The work involves applying a thin layer of bitumen and stone chippings to the road surface to seal it, improve grip and extend its life.

A road closure will be enforced between 4am and 6pm daily, starting Friday, April 24 and ending on Tuesday, April 28.

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Meanwhile, a suggested diversion route will be in place by Oxfordshire County Council via Green Lane, Alchester Road, the A4095, Vendee Drive, B4030 and vice versa.

A notice from Oxfordshire County Council said: “Limited access will be maintained for emergency service vehicles and for frontages within the closed section of road subject to the progress of the works.

“Access will be maintained for buses. Access will be maintained for cyclists and pedestrians.”

The road treatment works are part of an £8m county council scheme to fix more than a million square metres of carriageway in Oxfordshire.

A total of 87 roads will be improved this spring following a winter of cold and wet weather causing potholes to open up on the roads.

Richard Lovewell, business director of contractor M Group, said: “Surface dressing is the most cost-effective and efficient way to increase the life of our roads.

“It prevents water ingress, improves skid resistance and ultimately protects the carriageway from future potholes.”