Residents and visitors in Benson are now benefitting from easier travel to the Cala housing development as construction work is complete on Oxfordshire County Council’s 250-metre-long section of the Benson Relief Road.
The road opened to all users on 18 December 2024.
Construction of the section of the road that connects to Oxford Road and the creation of a flood compensation area was undertaken by Milestone Infrastructure on behalf of the council and took 13 months to complete.
Archaeological surveys of the site during the early part of construction uncovered an ancient well, while wildlife-friendly structures (mammal shelves and an otter tunnel) and a wildlife wetland habitat were installed to protect and improve the overall local biodiversity.
As part of the decommissioning of the site compound, two electric vehicle charging points and a defibrillator have been donated to Benson Parish Council and relocated to Benson Parish Hall for local residents to use.
Members of the project’s construction team also gave their time to help build a pergola for the Benson Community Gardens.
Councillor Judy Roberts, Cabinet Member for Infrastructure and Development Strategy at Oxfordshire County Council, said: “The Benson Relief Road is a central piece of new infrastructure for the village and a vital tool to reducing through traffic in the village centre.
“It incorporates measures to encourage cycling and walking locally, which helps reduce car usage in the village, lessening congestion, local emissions and adverse air quality.”
Councillor Judy Roberts added: “I am delighted to say that we have delivered our section of the road on time and on budget. Through the fantastic efforts of our project and construction delivery teams, we have also saved approximately 203 tonnes of carbon. This equates to 127 return flights from London to New York.”
Carbon-saving activities on the scheme included using recycled material where possible on site, reusing material, such as fill or topsoil, across the scheme, and minor design changes to reduce the impact of the scheme on the local environment.
The northern section of the road is already complete, and parts of the middle section are currently under construction. These are being delivered by the various housing developers on site. The entire route is anticipated to be open to all traffic in 2026.
