Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet has given the go-ahead for the next phase of the HIF1 Didcot and surrounding areas major infrastructure project with a revised deal with Government. The project includes the new Didcot to Culham river crossing.
Approval at the county council’s cabinet meeting on 21st June follows its agreement in February to allocate additional funding to the project as part of its budget setting process. This funding will be combined with further investment from Homes England and the Oxfordshire LEP to deliver the project by mid-2026, following successful discussions.
There is more information on the Oxfordshire County Council’s website along with details about the project.
Hope the new river crossing goes ahead.
Sadly it has been the case that transport studies have found that new roads and bridges simply serve to attract more traffic into an area (this is why a while back it was chosen not to build a new bridge at Reading). The mention of “Homes England” also indicates that this new infrastructure may serve to encourage more house-building; it also appears that the Oxford to Cambridge Arc, by whatever name it is called, is far from forgotten by Government. While we may experience a temporary reduction in traffic, in my view the overall impact of the new bridge and road may simply serve as an excuse to encourage greater population density and building.
Which is why Clifton Hampden bridge needs to be closed, except for emergency vehicles and possibly local residents, enforced by ANPR.
With Google Maps drivers are routed onto the quickest route even if it’s past schools, houses etc. to save a minute. The route selected means for thousands of people in East Didcot it will be *marginally* quicker to go via Clifton Hampden. They will only be stopped if there is a physical barrier or fines.