Oxfordshire County Council has announced work to convert a roundabout in north Bicester into a signalised junction will start tomorrow.

The plans for Banbury Road roundabout aim to accommodate increased vehicle, cyclist, and pedestrian activity in one of Oxfordshire's fastest growing towns.

Construction will start with one arm of the junction and carry through in stages, with traffic redirected using diversions and single lanes, and is expected to last around a year.

Oxford Mail: The planned work on Banbury Road roundaboutThe planned work on Banbury Road roundabout (Image: Oxfordshire County Council)

Longer journey times are anticipated while works are in progress, with the council advising residents and visitors to prepare their commute accordingly.

Councillor Judy Roberts, cabinet member for infrastructure and development strategy, said: "Bicester is expanding rapidly and the Banbury Road roundabout needs redeveloping to safely manage the levels of movement expected when new housing and jobs arrive in the town.

"It is important that this new junction is delivered before more housing is built.

"The junction will increase capacity, while better regulating traffic by using signals and a lower speed limit.

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"As a council, we are committed to making it easier for people to walk and cycle more if they can, and these improvements will also provide better pavements and cycle paths and safer crossings."

The redesign will introduce traffic signals to each arm of the junction, lower the speed limit from 40 to 30 miles per hour whilst maintaining right-turn access from Fringford Road.

It will also establish separate passageways and crossings for pedestrians and cyclists at the western and southern arms and create buffer zones between the cycle track and the roadway along three junction arms.

The project is funded entirely by central government, with £5.5 million provided by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and a further £5.2 million secured from the Growth Deal.

The first construction phase will close Fringford Road from February 7 to April 11, rerouting vehicles by the B4100 using three-way traffic lights and narrow lanes.

Oxford Mail: The diversion route while the work is taking placeThe diversion route while the work is taking place (Image: Oxfordshire County Council)

Pedestrians and cyclists will be directed via Skimmingdish Lane, Buckingham Road/A4421, and then onto the A4095.

The existing roundabout island will be dismantled following the completion of work on Fringford Road in April, with additional work occurring on the B4100 northbound.

The Banbury Road closure will run from July to October of this year, with traffic heading to Bicester redirected via the ring road.

Work on the A4095 westbound is set for October 2024 to January 2025.

The final construction stages will see road surfacing on the B4100 in January 2025 and electrical works carried out in early February 2025.

The pedestrian diversion path from February 7 to April 11 features pre-existing pedestrian crossings.

For additional information, visit the council website.