The weir path is open again, after a few days, and the notices have been updated to confirm this. It looks as though it was closed only as long as necessary for safety.

Meanwhile, the road by St Helen’s Wharf remains shut, but progress has been made: the new yellow plastic gas main has been laid, and the trenches have been backfilled. There are just a few inches left at the surface, waiting to be finished with tarmac.

So one route has returned to normal, the other is a work in progress but should be finished soon.

West St Helen Street remains quiet following a further extension of the emergency road closure outside St Helen’s Church.

Oxfordshire County Council says the closure has now been extended until 6 February 2026.

Residents on the street seem to be enjoying the peace, and the absence of traffic queues. The High Street also seems quieter. For people travelling in from South Abingdon, however, the diversion is less welcome and I have heard people complaining about the time it takes to get into town.

The reason for the extension is unclear. The van in the photograph is not from SGN (the gas contractor) but from Abingdon Town Council, whose staff were working in the churchyard, cutting back ivy.

P.S Work has resumed today (29th January) using a lorry with a large drill that has managed to get down deeper round the old gas pipes. So it looks like progress was waiting on that.

Last week I reported that West St Helen Street had closed. Although it reopened on Friday after some initial digging, the road closed again on Sunday.

The current works are more extensive, with four deep trenches dug down to the gas mains.

Winsmore Lane, another road in the town centre, is also closed. This could be Abingdon’s narrowest traffic road, carrying single-lane traffic to the back of some businesses and a few residences. The closure is for electricity works, likely connected to the redevelopment of the former Lloyds Bank building.

Businesses and residents can still access Winsmore Lane via St Edmunds Lane, where a bollard has been temporarily removed to allow entry.

Winsmore Lane takes its name from a family who owned part of Banbury Court until 1713 (1). Banbury Court was a substantial property of medieval origin located in this area near the River Ock – not the Banbury Court flats on the Vineyard.

1 – Baker, Agnes C. (1957). Historic Streets of Abingdon. Abingdon: The Abbey Press, p. 28.

The Lodge Hill interchange works are intended to improve access to the A34 from north Abingdon and reduce traffic going through Abingdon town centre. There will be south facing slip roads, two roundabouts to control traffic on and off the A34, mitigation measures intended to limit any increase in rat-running through nearby villages, and improvements to existing lay-bys along the A34.

Work continues on creating the south-facing slip roads. The view from the footpath bridge towards Sunningwell, looking north, shows the line of what will become the new off-slip road.

Most of the slip-road route looks muddy as the land has been cleared and levelled. One mature oak tree has been kept and surrounded by fencing to protect its roots during the works.

Looking from the A4183 bridge (without the aid of a drone), extensive yellow fencing marks out walkways and other protected areas. Beyond them, the start of the new south-facing on-slip can be seen.

To allow the installation of narrow lanes — needed for the safety of the workforce — sections of the A34 are being closed overnight between the Hinksey Hill and Marcham interchanges. Closures will be in place from 9pm to 6am on the following dates:
* Southbound only: Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 January
* Northbound only: Monday 19 and Tuesday 20 January

Residents and local politicians from Abingdon have long campaigned for these slip roads. The scheme was made possible through funding made available as a result of the large-scale housing developments in North Abingdon. The view south from the Sunningwell footpath bridge shows some of the housing and how close it is to the A34.