Pothole repair concerns on Oxfordshire ‘Grand Canyon’ road

Oxfordshire County Council has said the A4095 in Curbridge will be fully repaired after only a partial fix worried the community it would be left incomplete.

The road had been nicknamed after American landmark the Grand Canyon by Witney councillor Thomas Ashby because of the number of potholes which led to drivers zigzagging along it to avoid damage.

READ MORE: Oxfordshire ‘Grand Canyon’ pothole road resurfacing update

Works were confirmed earlier this year and have since been carried out but only on an area of the A4095 that didn’t need improving, according to Mr Ashby.

The Conservative politician said: “They have resurfaced a section of the A4095 that was in okay condition, while their own mapping promised a full upgrade through Curbridge.”

The road earlier this year, prior to the initial work (Image: Thomas Ashby)

He added: “Resurfacing the worse section of the road should have been common sense. 

“Residents were promised a complete improvement, yet we are left with the same hazards.

“I nicknamed this road the ‘Grand Canyon’ for a reason, and I will not stop campaigning until the council delivers the resurfacing they officially committed to.”

However, the county council has since confirmed it will be looking to make a larger repair on the road later this summer having already completed some minor patching works.

Only part of the A4095 in Curbridge has been resurfaced so far (Image: Thomas Ashby)

A spokesperson said: “The completed section of road was treated as part of our £8m countywide surface dressing programme.

“This is a very cost-effective method of resurfacing, aimed at extending the life of roads by around 10 years.

“The uncompleted section is scheduled for a deeper inlay resurfacing treatment later this summer, due to its condition, although some minor ‘patching’ repairs were carried out at the same time.

“However, additional defect repairs will also continue to be carried out as required before the resurfacing takes place, if picked up by our inspectors or reported to us by the public.”

Only part of the A4095 in Curbridge has been resurfaced so far (Image: Thomas Ashby)

This come following a particularly problematic winter for potholes with numerous reports of car damage in Oxfordshire, including for the Secretary of State for Transport Heidi Alexander’s car.

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The council in response has said it has invested close to £15 million on pothole repairs since 2024 and has hired more teams to tackle the issue this year.

The spokesperson added: “There is no one-size-fits-all approach to highway maintenance and our highways teams will use different methods depending on the condition of the road.

“However, they are all part of our priority to improve preventative treatments on our highways to stop defects such as potholes from forming in the first place.”