Oxford congestion charge may stay as Botley Road reopening delayed

Network Rail confirmed today that the major road in the city will remain closed beyond the end of August.

The reopening of Botley Road had been planned for the end of August when the programme, involving the upgrading of Oxford Station and local infrastructure, was reviewed and amended in January 2025 to prioritise the reopening of the road to traffic.

However, during excavation work relating to drainage for the new road, three minor gas leaks were identified on part of the gas network, owned by SGN.

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The pipe was not damaged by the Network Rail work.

In the interests of safety, and to avoid disruptive and unplanned work to repair potential gas leaks in the future, Network Rail has agreed to accommodate work by gas distribution company SGN to replace a section of their network beneath Botley Road, as well as completing existing Network Rail work.

A statement from Oxfordshire County Council said: “Earlier this month the council announced that the traffic filter trial would replace Oxford’s temporary congestion charge on 14 September.

“Clearly this will not happen now, as the traffic filter trial will only begin after Botley Road has reopened.”

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Councillor Gareth Epps, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport Management, added: “This is frustrating news for residents and businesses who have endured this closure for far too long as it is.

“We will continue to work with Network Rail and other partners to ensure the road can be reopened at the earliest possible time.

“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.”