Some householders in Oxford are "deeply depressed" by the Botley Road closure, according to a city councillor.
Last week it emerged that Network Rail bosses are now considering a series of options for the £161m scheme to revamp Oxford rail station.
And one possibility - although it is the least likely option - is for the entire project to be postponed indefinitely due to soaring costs.
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One pensioner said he was fed up with the "tunnel of death" - the walkway beneath the Botley Road rail bridge, which pedestrians have to share with cyclists, e-scooters and delivery drivers wheeling mopeds.
The Department for Transport, together with Network Rail, contractors Kier and the county council are expected to make an announcement later this month following a review, to indicate what will happen next.
Susanna Pressel, Labour city councillor for Osney and St Thomas ward, said people were "deeply depressed" by the closure of Botley Road at the rail bridge.
In July, Network Rail announced the road will not reopen at the bridge as planned at the end of October as it is not possible to complete necessary work on schedule.
Ms Pressel, also county councillor for Jericho and Osney, said: "This further delay to reopening Botley Road is immensely frustrating for thousands of people.
"I know many who can’t walk from the Osney Island bus stop to Frideswide Square or to the station – it is just too far for them.
"I know many others who find the pedestrian tunnel so unpleasant that they are refusing to use it.
"Their lives have been made much worse by this project. Now that there is no end in sight some of them tell me that they are deeply depressed or permanently angry.
"There are others who tell me that they actually love the fact that there is currently much less traffic in Botley Road, so it is quieter and safer, but there seem to be fewer of these people.
“I hope we will at least very soon be told when the project will be completed and the road finally reopened. Let’s hope it will all be worth it in the end.”
One 82-year-old who lives in Botley said: "As I am somewhat elderly and now having to walk with a stick, getting to town on the Botley Road is not pleasant, to put it mildly.
"We call the route under the railway bridge the 'Tunnel of Death' because of the cyclists and e-scooterists who refuse to dismount, and the total lack of enforcement - an accident waiting to happen, probably to someone elderly or disabled.
"And catching a bus to come home to Botley is also dire. Why better facilities aren’t provided is a mystery and, frankly, an insult."
County county John Howson lives near the rail station.
Speaking as a resident and not as a councillor, he said: "We need clarity on when Botley Road can be reopened."
Francis McGarry, investment director for Network Rail’s Wales and Western Region, said earlier he was aware the work was "hugely disruptive", and apologised to everyone impacted by the project.
The Department for Transport has declined to comment.
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About the author
Andy is the Trade and Tourism reporter for the Oxford Mail and you can sign up to his newsletters for free here.
He joined the team more than 20 years ago and he covers community news across Oxfordshire.
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