Normal service should be resumed today (Thursday, June 16)for shoppers in two major Oxford city centre streets.

Cornmarket Street's new surface

Two-way traffic is back in George Street following the completion of a £250,000 resurfacing scheme.

And last night (Wed, June 15), county council contractors were due to lay the final top surface for Cornmarket Street.

In George Street, the section of the road between the Worcester Street junction and the entrance to Gloucester Green bus station has been resurfaced.

Buses returned to their usual routes at the end of last week when the project was completed.

Minor jobs, including the installation of a number of cycle racks, will be carried out in coming weeks.

David Robertson, the county council's cabinet member for transport, said: "Both the county council and city council want the city centre to look as good as possible, using natural materials such as those we have used in this scheme.

"The work has been completed to a very high standard by the contractor Isis Accord and their sub-contractor.

"There have been very few complaints from the public and businesses and we are very appreciative of the support we have received from those who work nearby. I'd also like to thank all at nearby Balliol College for their patience." When the work began in February, traffic in George Street became one-way, with vehicles travelling only from Worcester Street towards the Magdalen Street junction with Cornmarket Street. Several bus services, including the 300 park-and-ride service to Redbridge, were rerouted.

As reported in the late edition of yesterday's Oxford Mail, the final stage of Oxford's problem-plagued Cornmarket Street revamp was due to be completed early today. (Thursday, June 16).

Work to replace the temporary black asphalt with a buff-coloured bitumen surface began on Monday night and was expected to be finished by yesterday morning, but workmen needed more time.

County council spokesman Paul Smith said yesterday: "The job was booked for three nights, but we had hoped to complete it in the first two."

Costs for the resurfacing project doubled to £5.1m from the initial estimate following numerous false starts, delays and unforeseen problems.

Both councils were responsible for the project and a joint council inquiry published earlier this year reported that in future, all major projects would be the responsibility of a single officer and project manager.