County council says more than 105,000 square metres of carriageway will be renewed by mid-October, with overnight closures planned on major routes
Oxfordshire’s summer road resurfacing programme has reached its halfway point, with more than 105,000 square metres of carriageway set to be renewed across 35 roads by mid-October.
The programme, delivered by Oxfordshire County Council and its highways contractor M Group, includes resurfacing works on major routes including the A40, A44, A361, Thames Street in Oxford and Horspath Driftway.
In total, the scheme comprises 32 surface inlay sites covering more than 85,000 square metres, alongside three larger structural maintenance projects spanning almost 21,000 square metres.
The council says the investment is intended to improve road conditions, reduce the number of potholes developing during winter and cut the need for more expensive reactive repairs.
Councillor Liz Leffman, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways Construction and Repairs, said the work was being carried out during the summer to prepare roads for harsher winter conditions.
She said: “This vital new programme will extend the life of roads by preventing water getting in, reducing the need for frequent repairs, enhancing skid resistance for safer travel, and smoothing out road surfaces.
“Prevention is better than cure. I know from my own division that the roads that were least affected by potholes this winter were the ones that had been resurfaced most recently.”
Richard Lovewell, Business Director at M Group, said resurfacing remained a key part of long-term highway maintenance.
He said investing in resurfacing at the right time helps improve safety for road users while preventing more costly repairs in the future.
One of the structural maintenance schemes will also mark an Oxfordshire first through the use of ACLA, a carbon-negative aggregate-like additive designed to permanently lock carbon into the road while maintaining its structural strength.
The council says the innovation supports its wider ambitions to reduce carbon emissions associated with highway maintenance.
Some of the most significant resurfacing schemes include:
- A44 Worcester Road, Chipping Norton (3-7 August)
- A40 at Swinbrook (5 August)
- A361 Southam Road, Banbury (24 August onwards)
- A361 Horsefair, Banbury (27 August-11 September)
- A361 Southam Road/Horsefair crossroads (9-10 September)
- A40 at Milton Common (21-22 September)
- Thames Street, Oxford (23-24 September)
- Horspath Driftway, Oxford (28 September-16 October)
Longer-running schemes include Upavon Way, Carterton, Lower Icknield Way, Chinnor, and the A44 at Cross Hands, which is scheduled to continue until early November.
While preliminary work will generally be carried out under temporary traffic lights, the main resurfacing operations will require overnight road closures wherever possible to reduce disruption during the day.
Motorists are being advised to follow signed diversion routes, with all dates remaining subject to weather conditions.
The resurfacing programme follows Oxfordshire County Council’s recent £8 million surface dressing programme, much of which was completed between April and June as part of the county’s ongoing highway maintenance strategy.
