Oxford’s Botley Road will be hit with further disruption when repair work begins on a key bridge next year.
Thames Water will replace a leaking water pipe under Osney Bridge which was damaged by an Environment Agency boat in April 2021.
The repair work is expected to last from February next year until March 2025.
READ MORE: Oxford traders' anger at Botley Road and Interchange works
It could see the bridge reduced to a single lane of traffic controlled by traffic lights, according to Susanna Pressel, Oxford city councillor for Osney and St Thomas.
A Thames Water spokeswoman said: “We’re currently in the planning stages of our works on Osney Bridge which are due to start next year.
“We will provide updates to residents and to customers on the traffic arrangements and details of the works in due course and with sufficient notice before any works start.”
The work will coincide with the closure of Botley Road at the rail bridge, which has been ongoing since April and is expected to last until October 2024.
Work is also underway at the Botley Interchange, at the other end of Botley Road, which will last until March next year.
Business owners on Botley Road have complained about the disruption over the last year, claiming it has affected trade.
One trader called it “a perfect storm of disruption” and said Botley Road was “like an island, cut off from the rest of the city.”
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