MOTORISTS and businesses are bracing themselves for months of disruption as a result of several major schemes.

Tomorrow £10m improvements to Cutteslowe and Wolvercote roundabouts will start and people have warned it will be a “nightmare”.

On Friday drivers reported major delays along the A40, A44 and even further away on the A34 as a result of preparatory works between the two roundabouts.

The 16-month scheme will be at the same time as other projects including the redesign of Frideswide Square.

And there is a warning October 26, when the new Oxford Parkway station opens at Water Eaton, could be a “game changer”.

Jean Fooks, Oxfordshire County Councillor for Wolvercote and Summertown, said: “I think it’s going to be a bit of a nightmare, a year of difficulty and congestion all round.”

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Business psychology firm OPP, based on Elsfield Way off the Cutteslowe roundabout, has extended its opening hours and given instruction for all business representatives and potential interviewees visiting its offices during the next 16 months.

The firm’s HR Manager Laura Gibbens said: “It’s going to impact all our employees and any companies we have visiting us.

“We have briefed our interview candidates and security staff to expect it to take an extra half hour to get to us.

“We’re opening longer hours and considering more home working for employees to make things more flexible for them.

“We’re hoping the improvements to the A40 will benefit our staff in the long term but on the day the station opens and in the first weeks there’s going to be a detrimental impact even if in the long term the benefits might outstrip the inconvenience.”

Transport commentator Hugh Jaeger said he fears traffic could be so severe it could disrupt the opening of the new station itself.

He said: “We don’t know what the full change in driving patterns will be until it happens.

“A lot of notice has been given about the roundabouts being worked on so people will be changing their routes to try to avoid this, but this could cause them to run into traffic going to Oxford Parkway.”

Oxfordshire County Council leader Ian Hudspeth said the opening will be a “game changer” for Oxford because of the economic boost an increase in commuter traffic could give the county.

He said: “Water Eaton is going to be fantastic for Oxfordshire full stop.

“It will help to ease traffic on the Oxford Road and people will be able to walk and cycle to it.”

But he agreed many of Oxfordshire’s roads are already at capacity and said he wants to see more regular bus services connecting with trains to help reduce the number of people taking cars to the new stations.

Asked about the fact major roadworks are taking place at the same time as the station opening Mr Hudspeth said: “We’ve got the money to do the work which we haven’t had for 20 years.

“If we don’t do it now, when do we do it there’s never a good time.”

Chiltern Railways spokeswoman Emma Gascoigne said there will actually be a reduction in traffic congestion when it opens Oxford Parkway.

She said: “The new station will also ease congestion in the city centre and has been designed with cycle facilities and good connectivity to Water Eaton park and ride which will help to alleviate traffic on local roads and reduce traffic on the parallel A34.

“It’s also worth noting, the traffic light controlled junction that serves the current park & ride site and which will become the way in to the station for cars, will be reconfigured resulting in better traffic flow along the A4165.”