The delayed reopening of an Oxfordshire road has been branded "disappointing" by councillors. 

The southern side of Banbury Road from the roundabout to Lodge Close in Bicester is currently shut due to the Banbury Road Roundabout improvement project taking place. 

The project is currently in phase three and the road was supposed to reopen at the end of this month.

However, due to a problem in the supply change, the reopening has been delayed by a week and the road is now expected to re-open on November 7.

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A spokesperson for Oxfordshire County Council said until November 7, the closure will remain in effect for 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with narrow lanes and traffic lights on the northern half of the road to manage traffic. 

The traffic lights will still be manned.

The plans for the roundabout (Image: Oxfordshire County Council) In response to the delay, Conservative district, town and county councillor Donna Ford said: "I am concerned as I’m sure residents will be that there appears to an element of supplier due diligence lacking in the supply chain of this project which could have foreseen or eliminated the issue if it had been completed.

"This is now unfairly having a knock on effect on residents.

"I will continue as always to keep residents up to date on progress of the project."

A spokesperson for Oxfordshire County Council said: “Work to divert telecommunications cables started later than expected due to the utility company needing to appoint a new subcontractor at short notice, because their original subcontractor went out of business.

“The county council cannot divert equipment like cables without the third-party owner being involved."

They added that work on the improvements is "progressing well" and this delay is "not expected to affect the end date of the project".

Lib Dem town councillor Rachel Mallows said: "It’s obviously disappointing to learn of this delay.

"The roadworks have caused residents a great deal of inconvenience.

"Hopefully the project team will be able to expedite other tasks and get the project back on track.

"It is good to see that the final layout is now starting to emerge. I know a lot of us are looking forward to when it is all finished."

Conservative district and town councillor Nick Mawer said whilst it's "disappointing" and "annoying" for local residents, "such a small delay" is not concerning.

Banbury Road Roundabout (Image: Bicester Bike Users' Group)

"I understand the reasons for the delay and that they were beyond the control of OCC," he told the Oxford Mail.

"By comparison, councillors are much more concerned about the recent disclosure by OCC that they needed a huge additional budget increase to complete the project.

"Councillors will be keeping an eye on any further delays to make sure the project is kept on track and that residents do not suffer from a series of cumulative small delays."

An extra £1.3 million was approved by Oxfordshire County Council for the completion of the project in a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, September 17. 

The council said the "increase in budget" is due to a combination of factors, including "unforeseen changes to the traffic management requirements" and "necessary post-design changes to construction".

A spokesperson for Oxfordshire County Council said: “As the highways authority we have a responsibility to design and deliver construction projects in a safe and responsible manner.

“A combination of factors impacted on the overall costs of the improvements. Working with partners, including local councillors, we improved the planned traffic management by adding three speed indicator devices and manually operated traffic lights, to keep traffic flowing safely.

“Changes were also made to drainage and additional utility diversions were required.

“The additional funding now allocated is being drawn from existing central government funding.”