The A34 Lodge Hill Interchange scheme has secured full funding. The additional funding needed came from Homes England, and Pauline Schaffer, Director of Infrastructure Funding at Homes England, says the project will unlock 820 high-quality homes.
Construction is anticipated to start in summer 2024, and last approximately two years. The project will add south-facing slip roads to the A34 at Lodge Hill. Oxfordshire County Council approved the scheme in September.
The relevant press releases are:
A34 Lodge Hill scheme to be fully funded (23 Oct 2023)
Works to improve junction capacity at Lodge Hill given planning permission (11 Sep 2023)
Great news. Long overdue
Great news, should have been built years ago but glad its finally being done.
I guess we can’t complain as it’s been a long time coming – and I’m new here (18 years); so “well done” etc…
But, the elephant in the room is; if this interchange was long overdue 20 years ago…then how does that square with the fact that NOW we have substantially more houses/traffic?
The interchange was needed to alleviate the traffic woes of yesteryear.
So, arguably the traffic infrastructure is running approx 20years behind what we need. So this interchange will be out of date and unfit for purpose the moment it opens?
Also….only in the UK can it take 2 years to build an interchange. It’s a little embarrassing.
Well done though, etc.
Perhaps yet another case of more building site than foresight.
Regardless of creeping privatisation of NHS services, will the Doctors and Dentists be there to cope with the incomers ?
Long Furlong surgery has put in a planning application for another floor to be put on top of the existing one, so they are anticipating a lot more patients.
The surgery may be getting the extra consuming rooms but they along with other surgeries in town are not taking on any more patients because they cannot get doctors to fill vacancies they already have
Amazing news, and it only took half a lifetime.
Had a Thames Water flyer through the door about the massive reservoir this week, that’s never going to be welcomed, especially as it is water for miles away elsewhere, it’s not even for Oxfordshire.
Seeing as the company can’t even maintain its current infrastructure, fix leaky pipes or bother sorting out sewage properly, I absolutely do not remotely trust them with building a safe reservoir without cutting corners or using cheaper materials. If one of those huge embankments fail we’d all be washed away by a biblical flood.
Careful what you wish for Kris. The “reservoir land” is clearly eyeballed for something….and the decision makers round these parts either lack the wearwithall or motivation to prevent ‘something’ happening on it.
Reservoir, or “garden city”…. it’s gonna be something, and it’s possible a reservoir is the least worst option…
Don’t get me wrong…it’s abhorrent that we continue to allow TW to make profit while pumping pi## and s##t in to our rivers and streams…but that’s almost irrelevant in this instance.
*If it were up to me, I would fine water companies, collectively £60 billion…which is the average cost to renationalise the system
…then, using their own money, buy it back.
Thank goodness, been waiting for this for years!!!
I moved to Abingdon late 1982 to a new Wimpey house on Peachcroft. I couldn’t understand then why there was no south bound slipway onto the A34.
Here we are over 40 years later and it looks like it’s on the way. If does demonstrate to me how people in Abingdon have been thoroughly let down by those in authority that have talked a lot and delivered very little.
Hey Richmond…we got the 20mph limits we “all wanted”; what you talking about!?
Totally agree. Why didn’t they spend extra cash 50 years ago to make it a normal exit/entrance, north and south entrance exit. Same deal with that mess at Drayton/Steventon. Saved themselves nothing in the big picture but at least it gives us all something to whinge about on here 🙂
I don’t think its ever been explained by anyone as to why the junction was built without any south facing slips…! Especially as Abingdon was growing fast at that time, with the Peachcroft estate fully underway and the Long Furlong estate not far off being started….
I seem to recall that the then Ministry of Transport said that the A34 Abingdon Bypass was not built to take local traffic journeys.
That was the explanation – meant to be an A road without too many entrances onto it.
This is why there originally there was not a much needed junction at Chilton for the Harwell and Rutherford labs.
It was a Conservative government in charge at the time; they would have made that decision
What I don’t understand is the blocked Northbound slipway at Drayton. Surely this will make life easier for South Abingdon residents.
It was never a slip road/entrance, just used for construction.
what will people moan about now?
Judging by comments on the Blog I would not spend too much time thinking about that; they will find something to moan about as some people are never satisfied and just enjoy grumbling .
I enjoy grumbling.
So, in answer to Rudi’s question….
Housing being built with no infrastructure.
Ill thought out 20mph restrictions.
AbITS and how it badly damaged the traffic in town but we still paid for it.
The outdoor pool being badly operated but we pay for it to be.
The fact individuals are paying council tax to clean their own streets.
Human sewage in the river
Lack of vision for the town.
State of the potholed roads.
…that’s all I could come up with in 20 seconds though….so will have a think…
Sian, the top of the Northbound slip road in Drayton has been turned into an official layby. It was used for many years, mainly by lorries, as an unofficial layby.
How is this going to alleiviate traffic congestion?
Since time immemorial we have built more roads and it only ever leads to more cars.
How is this going to be different?
When are the authorities going to start investing a fraction of their expenditure on active travel instead of trying the same thing over and over yet hoping for a different outcome?
Maybe because stringing in your own vehicle is simply a nicer, more pleasurable and often cheaper experience than “active travel” – whatever that is…beyond it being a passing bandwagon that our councillors may this money at in the vein hopper of securing votes?
I appreciate that some don’t have a choice; but anyone that is fortunate enough to have a choice…why would you choose not to drive?
I don’t want to sit on a bus watching other people’s coughs, bad breath and farts dribbling down the inside of the windows…
I’m happy with your plan though
…but please start with contacting BMW/Mini. They celebrate (as does our community) producing 1000 cars a day. That’s 1000 CARS A DAY. EVERY SINGLE DAY… And that’s just Mini.
If we stopped production of cars, I guarantee, people would stop buying new ones…I’m almost sure of it 🤔
Few typos there, gin induced, hopefully you get my drift.
If people are happy to sit in their cars (for whatever reason) it’s hard to see what they are all complaining about.