Work continues on the major redesign of the A34 junction at Abingdon, a project aimed at adding new roundabouts to support new south facing slip roads. Up to now there have only been north facing slip roads.

The temporary junction from Abingdon onto the A34 towards Oxford — which until recently gave priority to right-turning traffic over vehicles going straight ahead — is now starting to look more normal. With two thirds of one of the new roundabouts complete, traffic from Abingdon is now being guided around it before joining the A34 slip road.

The second of the two new roundabouts is roughly halfway finished, although it is not yet in use.

Looking towards where the new slip road from the south will run, warning signs are in place advising against trespass. One sign identifies the area as the ‘Moortown Working Area.’

At the site of the future southbound on-slip, the churned-up eath is beginning to take shape, with the base layer of a new roadway now visible.

Once complete, the scheme should improve traffic in Abingdon town centre and round the inner ring road by improving access onto the A34.

An abandoned van could be seen last week beside the fencing at the Lodge Hill A34 junction redevelopment where new south-facing slip roads and two roundabouts are being constructed.

By today, the vehicle has gone. It was near one of the new roundabouts currently under construction.

At that roundabout, kerbstones now mark the curve of the new carriageway, while newly planted trees hedge this part of the development.

Meanwhile, extensive earthworks are underway for the new southbound slip roads onto the A34. This view is from the bridge over the A34. One of the contractors said a drone had been flying to record progress.

A new shared-use path is taking shape along the north side of Twelve Acre Drive as part of the wider North Abingdon development. When complete, it should provide a useful route for people walking or cycling towards Radley Station.

The pathway is being built as a condition of the development’s planning permission. At present, it begins at the eastern end of the Radley Reach site, crosses the entrance to Peachcroft Farm, and links up with the existing path around the lower edge of the field beside Radley Road.

A new signal-controlled crossing has also been approved for Twelve Acre Drive.

A further link path is also under construction, connecting the crossing with Carse Close on the Peachcroft Estate. This path is another requirement for the North Abingdon development.

The crossing will allow access to the new sports pavilion and football pitches being developed at Radley Reach. There are already signs that work on the pavilion itself has begun.

It will also improve access from the development towards the Peachcroft shops or to Oxford Road and central Abingdon.

There is currently another informal crossing point over Twelve Acre Drive near the Oxford Road roundabout, close to where the footpath to Radley College once started. At present, this can feel quite unsafe, with fast-moving traffic in both directions.

In time, these various elements should come together as part of the wider proposals set out in the Abingdon Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan.

If you know more about what is planned here, do let me know.

It is the anniversary of the last time I wrote about potholes. Time passes. Potholes do not.

Once again we reach that point in the year when everyone is steering more carefully, scanning the road ahead. February seems to be peak pothole season, if the press coverage is anything to go by. Some people have begun putting plants in potholes. Ruth told me today potholes are a ‘National Scandal’.

Through autumn and early winter, water seeps into small cracks in the surface. When temperatures drop, that water freezes and expands. Traffic weakens the area. A small crack becomes a larger one. Over time — maybe several years — the surface gives way and opens up.

The High Street is currently one of the most broken-looking stretches of road. It drains poorly and carries heavy traffic, which is not a good combination.

But it is not alone. Caldecott Road is well potted. Two cones mark two of the holes. Others are outlined in white rectangles. A few remain unmarked, waiting to surprise the unwary.