Anyone travelling north on Stratton Way this week will have seen the warning sign: ‘Major Works on A4183 Severe Delays Expected Use Alt Route.‘ Between the town centre and the Lodge Hill junction, there were three separate sets of roadworks today.

From the Peachcroft roundabout up towards the A34 junction, two sets of temporary traffic lights are in place. One set is connected to the new housing development, the other to work on the A34 slip road. They are hopefully being coordinated so that traffic released from one doesn’t gridlock the other.

Closer to town, and more temporary, Abbott Road was being resurfaced today. Crews were working on the junction with the A4183, using manual stop/go boards while lorries moved and tarmac was laid.

It made for a slow journey along the A4183. The number A4183 isn’t very memorable. Oxford Road is easier. The A4183 used to be the A34 until 1973, when the dual carriageway opened and the old route through Abingdon got a new number. Sitting in the 4 zone between the A4 and A5, A4183 was used. This is where West Bromwich and Evesham come in. The A4182 is in West Bromwich and A4184 is in Evesham. So Abingdon’s Oxford Road sits between them in the sequence.

By the way, Evesham’s Regal Cinema is a sister venue to Abingdon’s Abbey Cinema, operated by the same team. So perhaps they are at home with the A4183.

Road works in Abingdon are not really news but there was slow traffic around Abingdon, today Monday, with queues building up on the approach from Drayton and along Ock Street.

The cause was a set of four-way temporary traffic lights at the Caldecott Road roundabout. Each of the four approaches were given their turn, and the other three had to wait.

The works themselves were on the pavement, with pedestrians diverted into the road. As a result the road from Drayton was reduced to single-lane.

The work is being carried out for Thames Water, with a licence running from Monday 21 September until Friday 25 September.

According to one.network, the work is described as ‘Disconnection or Alteration of Supply’, with a footway closure and alternative route provided. The works are subject to lane rental.

What is news today is that the Botley Road in Oxford has reopened. It has been closed for work on the railway bridge since April 2023.

Crossing the footbridge on the footpath from Abingdon towards Sunningwell and Bayworth, there is a view along the A34 towards the new south-facing slipways at Lodge Hill. The works continue to shape what were fields and woodland.

The new offslip has involves wide earthworks on the field.

From the bridge, the southbound onslip joining the A34 is visible but not much else.

A further view from the footpath towards Bayworth shows more of the work taking place.

Up on Lodge Hill, both northbound slipways are open again, but the route of the Oxford Road through the two new roundabouts continues to shift as parts are closed and opened.

Roads across central and southern Abingdon, and possibly further afield, were lined with notices warning that 22 July was scheduled for drain cleaning and asking motorists to not park their vehicles at that point.

When the drain-cleaning team reached West St Helen Street, they directed a hose pipe at the drain. The test presumably showed that the drain was flowing freely and not blocked, so the notice was removed without any further work being needed.

Some of the other drains identified for attention did require cleaning, which involved a more extensive process.