The new play park and multi-use games area at Kings Gate have opened and are proving popular. This photo was taken on a school-day morning, during quieter hours.

Contractors are completing the final section of the cycle and pedestrian path over the River Stert, which will connect Aldi, the Kings Gate estate, Tilsley Park, and the Abbey Fields development.

On the roads, work has yet to resume on the Oxford Road roundabout. However, preliminary work on the long-awaited south-facing slip roads for the A34 at Lodge Hill is set to begin. According to a BBC report, a site compound will be built off the Oxford Road from 10th February, with vegetation and trees being cleared. Oxfordshire County Council estimates that the main interchange works will be completed by summer 2026.

For those seeking more details, a public information event will be held at Long Furlong Community Centre on 21st March, from 14:00 to 18:00.

In a smaller project, Abingdon-on-Thames Town Council is planning to replace the town entry signs. They need moving beyond the new houses, and some of the existing signs have not weathered well. (It’s still only one hour of free parking in the town centre. The ‘1’ covering the ‘2’ must have peeled off.)

The Lodge Hill bridge over the A34 is closed this week (from Sunday, October 27th, to the morning of Saturday, November 2nd). The work to waterproof the bridge includes replacing expansion joints, kerbs, and resurfacing. There are also signs about Asbestos removal. The closure has been planned for half term and aims to minimise disruption and avoid frequent roadworks during the colder months.

Buses and residents are being allowed over the bridge. Cyclist and pedestrians are being led around the work. But a lot of vehicles are trying to go that way and being turned back.

The increased traffic congestion in West St Helen Street and Drayton Road, not typical for a half-term week, is a likely consequence of the bridge closure. Motorists who would normally join the A34 at Lodge Hill are rerouting via the Marcham Road, and slowing the traffic flow from South Abingdon heading north.

However, the unexpected congestion has a bright side. Once the full diamond interchange at Lodge Hill is completed, less traffic will use the Marcham Road route and lessen congestion along Drayton Road and West St Helen Street.

But then if congestion improves, more people will start using the Drayton Road instead of other routes. You can probably never win with so many cars on the road.