Didcot’s roads will be hit with “traffic chaos” in the coming weeks, a councillor has warned.
Ian Snowdon said the combination of temporarily closing a key bridge and installing four-way lights in a main street would cause gridlock in the town.
“It feels like we’re being picked on,” said the district and county councillor. “It is going to cause absolute traffic chaos.”
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From Monday (October 23) until December 4, Manor Bridge will be closed around the clock for all road-users apart from emergency services and some nearby residents.
The closure is for refurbishment works, Oxfordshire County Council said, and vehicles will be diverted to Station Road.
It comes while four-way traffic lights are in operation on Broadway, another main road through the town, for repairs by gas company SGN.
“It means that two of the three ways to get through Didcot are closed at the same time,” said Mr Snowdon.
“Manor Bridge has been on the books to be done for such a long time and I don’t think there is much of a chance that will be stopped.
“But at the same time, you have got SGN putting up four-way lights to carry out repairs.
“Any car or vehicle that wants to go through Didcot to get to Cholsey or Wallingford, every single one will have to go through Station Road.
“That is on top of all the commuters and traffic that uses the road at the moment. It’s already a congested road.
"On a Friday or Saturday, I will always get emails from residents complaining about how bad the traffic is at the station.
“A lot of it is caused by people turning into the Orchard Centre car park because there are so few waiting spaces."
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Mr Snowdon said that SGN should work longer hours to reduce the time that the lights are in place.
“What choice have they got? Where the lights are, there’s a pub on the corner and an old people home is set to be built, but it’s not got any houses,” he said.
“That means you have got no one who is going to complain about people working later, at times like 7pm.
“The county council and highways are already not the greatest friends of people in Didcot because they have just turned down 300m in infrastructure with the HIF1 scheme.
“It feels like we’re being picked on.”
The proposed work includes repairs to the concrete bridge deck, installation of new waterproofing to the bridge deck and resurfacing of the carriageway.
A council spokesperson said: "It is recognised that Manor Bridge forms a key part of the local highway network.
"In order to minimise the work’s duration and consequently disruption, it is proposed that working hours may be extended for certain work activities and that some activities, notably those associated with surfacing works, will be carried out overnight (although note it is intended that noisy activities shall be completed before 11pm).
"Oxfordshire County Council apologises for any inconvenience that these works may cause."
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