Andy Ffrench argues that patience not panic is needed as we wait for the Botley Road to reopen.

We all want to know when the Botley Road is going to reopen, as a £161m Network Rail scheme to improve Oxford rail station continues, but for now we are going to have to be patient.

The frustration of businesses, commuters and residents who have had to endure the closure of the busy route at the rail bridge for the past 18 months is understandable.

The numerous extensions to the work schedule by Network Rail has not built trust with the local community, and after announcing that the road will not reopen as planned in October, it is still not able to say when the closure will end.

A review is under way, and it is likely to be concluded next month, according to one business leader.

And according to one rail industry insider, a 'nuclear' (unlikely) option on the table would be the withdrawal of funding for the scheme so that the work would be postponed indefinitely.

(Image: Andy Ffrench) Good some might say, we get our Botley Road back.

But actually that would be a nightmare scenario, leaving us with a half-finished scheme that would not bring the much-needed East West Rail connections required to reopen the Cowley branch line.

No doubt city council leaders are watching developments carefully, as their plans for thousands of new homes in the area served by the branch line would be thrown into doubt, if the station improvements are not completed.

Surely the best possible scenario is for Network Rail, the Department for Transport (DfT), contractors Kier and the county council to conclude their review next month, and then, as soon as possible, announce a clear timetable, with a realistic end date.

Eighteen months of hard work and significant investment would be wasted if the DfT pulls the plug on the project now and we hope that will not be the case.

In the meantime, traders in the area will have to grit their teeth, seek compensation and hope they can survive, while drivers and pedestrians will continue to be frustrated by the interruption to their usual journey.

There is also the question of six new traffic filters being planned by the county council.

These new filters - or camera-enforced bus gates - will force the majority of drivers off city centre roads at certain times of day, unless they have the right permits.

Highways bosses at County Hall have conceded that they can't launch the new filters when the Botley Road is closed, and insist they are prepared to wait until the road is reopened.

If, as we suspect, work at the station could take another year, then the traffic filters would probably not be introduced until after the county council elections next summer - and that chronology might suit some of our political leaders.

But that is perhaps a conspiracy theory too far.

At the moment what is required is a calm plan to get the job done, and the Botley Road reopened as soon as possible.