Witney Roadworks: 7 Roads Shut 24 Sept, Oxford Filters 28th

Seven Witney roads close in the same week from Wednesday 24 September, and four days after that the way you drive into Oxford changes for good. Six separate temporary traffic orders cover Station Lane, Court Gardens, Judds Close, Lowell Place, Bourton Close, Aldsworth Court and Barrington Close between 24 and 29 September. The work is microsurfacing.

Then on Monday 28 September Oxford’s traffic filters replace the congestion charge. The £5 payment option goes with it. That is the change most likely to affect a Witney driver, and it is set out further down this page. The condition the county attached to the start date has been met: Botley Road reopened to traffic on Sunday 20 September after more than three years.

Nothing in the town centre changes before then. Witney High Street stays open northbound only while Oxfordshire County Council works on the eastern side of the street. The county’s scheme page, checked today, still schedules completion in November.

The buses changed too. Both operator groups rewrote their Oxfordshire networks on 20 September, and Witney came out of it with more buses, not fewer: a new S1A and up to six buses an hour to Oxford. The route-by-route detail is in Witney’s buses changed on 20 September.

The September closure week, road by road

Two things to note. None of the six notices publishes a diversion route, and all of them are worded as an intention to make an order rather than an order already made, so dates can still move. The county’s enquiry line for every one of them is 0345 310 11 11 or highway.enquiries@oxfordshire.gov.uk.

What is shut right now

Three closures have come off this table since our last check, all at the end of their published dates: Oscar Street at Eynsham (14 September), Frog Lane at Milton under Wychwood (18 September) and the gas supply works on High Street, Stonesfield (22 September). The Chipping Norton Mop Fair came and went on 17 to 20 September, and the A44 through the town centre is back to normal running.

The A44 restriction runs for about 200 metres either side of the Salford turn, between the road to the Rollright Stones and the county border at Chastleton. That is the main Chipping Norton to Moreton-in-Marsh road, so a 30mph limit there is worth knowing about before you set off.

Upavon Way in Carterton: overnight closures end this week

Carterton’s biggest resurfacing job of the year is in its final week. The daytime resurfacing ran to 28 August. An order made on 24 August then closed the same stretch overnight from 1 September, between 8pm and 6am. The county’s maintenance table gives 25 September as the last night of works; the closure order itself allows until the 26th.

The closure runs from Carr Avenue to Lord Close. Cyclists and pedestrians keep access, and the signed alternative route is via Alvescot Road and Burford Road. The reference is T18279/AC. Carterton is about six miles west of Witney.

School Streets are now in force in Carterton

Four residential roads in Carterton, about six miles west of Witney, have closed to most motor vehicles at school drop-off and pick-up times since Wednesday 2 September. The restriction runs 8.15am to 9.15am and 2.30pm to 3.30pm, Monday to Friday, term time only, and it is enforced by number plate cameras.

The closure points are on Edgeworth Drive and Richens Drive at their junctions with the B4020 Upavon Way, and at both ends of Lawton Avenue. Residents, blue badge holders, carers, liveried delivery vans and emergency vehicles are exempt, but most exemptions have to be applied for in advance.

We have covered the scheme, the consultation behind it and how to apply, in Carterton school streets start on 2 September.

Booked in for the next two months

The Crawley Road notice is a single-day closure for Openreach telecommunications work. Like most of the town’s notices it publishes no diversion route, only the county’s enquiry line, 0345 310 11 11.

Woodstock Street Fair shuts the town centre from 4 October

Woodstock Street Fair runs under the Oxfordshire County Council (Woodstock Street Fair) (Special Event) Order 2026, from 10am on Sunday 4 October to 3am on Wednesday 7 October. Closed to vehicles are:

• Market Street
• Market Place
• High Street
• Park Street

There is no diversion route, because the whole closed area is a cul-de-sac ending at Blenheim Palace’s north-west gate. Side roads can be used up to the closure points only. Waiting is banned on parts of all four streets, and to compensate the county lifts the payment requirement outside numbers 32 to 58 Oxford Street and suspends the 30 minute limit outside numbers 18 to 22 and 25 to 31. Parking is also freed up on the north side of Hensington Road between Bear Close and Green Lane. Woodstock is about eight miles north-east of Witney.

The High Street scheme

The project is funded by a £1.98 million grant from the government’s Active Travel Fund and locks in the town centre traffic arrangement introduced after through traffic was reduced. Construction started in early May. Phase 1, on the western side of the street, ran from May to August with traffic southbound only. Phase 2, on the eastern side, started on 10 August and runs to completion with traffic northbound only. Access to every business on the High Street and Market Square is maintained throughout.

When it is done, Witney gets:

• around 2,000 square metres of resurfaced footway and over 1,000 square metres of new footway space
• 10 marked disabled parking places
• new seating areas and new trees
• a new bus stop for community transport, plus a 16 metre taxi bay, with taxi access to the shared space after 5pm on weekdays and after 2pm on Saturdays
• a new traffic priority arrangement at the High Street and Welch Way junction, with a central island for cyclists turning right

Oxfordshire County Council takes questions on the scheme at witneyhighstreet@oxfordshire.gov.uk.

The A40

Almost every journey out of Witney meets the A40, and the road is run by Oxfordshire County Council rather than National Highways, so the county is who to chase when it goes wrong.

The west-facing slip roads at the A40 and B4022 Shores Green junction are open, giving Witney a direct eastbound off-slip and westbound on-slip at the eastern edge of the town. They opened on 17 July at a final cost of £26.8 million, against an earlier published estimate of £25 million. The temporary speed limits and lane closures that ran through construction have gone with them.

The county’s own project page for the scheme has still not been updated. Checked again today, it advertises a June night closure, a consultation that shut on 15 May, and a 50mph limit “until the end of construction”, none of which now applies.

The next phase is bigger and has not started. Oxfordshire County Council holds planning consent, granted on 30 June, for the A40 Eynsham park and ride to Wolvercote scheme: roughly 7.3 kilometres of bus priority lanes in both directions, a new junction linking the Eynsham park and ride to the A40, upgraded junctions at Cassington and the Lower Road roundabout, and walking and cycling routes on both sides. Phase 1 funding is £126 million from Homes England and the Department for Transport, and Balfour Beatty is set to build it subject to final agreement on cost, programme and terms. Construction is expected to start later this year.

Note what is not in it. The long-discussed dualling of the A40 east of Witney is not part of this phase. The scheme is bus priority and active travel, not extra general traffic lanes.

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Lower speed limits at Minster Lovell and Asthall

New speed limit orders came into force on 14 August on the B4047 Burford Road, the old Witney to Burford route. They replace the previous orders for both parishes. In summary:

• 30mph on the B4047 from the A40 Asthall roundabout eastwards for 325 metres, and on the unnamed road running north towards Asthall for 140 metres
• a 40mph buffer on the B4047 eastwards from that 30mph limit for 300 metres
• 50mph on the two stretches of the B4047 that were previously the national speed limit, at the western end between the Asthall buffer and Minster Lovell’s 30mph limit, and at the eastern end between Minster Lovell’s 40mph limit and Witney’s

Driving into Oxford: two dates that matter

Park and ride now costs £3. Free park and ride bus travel in Oxford ended on 16 August. Since 17 August the offer has been a £3 combined ticket covering return bus travel for up to five people of any age plus parking for up to 16 hours. It is valid on any Stagecoach, Oxford Bus Company or Thames Travel bus that stops at a park and ride site, not just the dedicated services.

The Eynsham park and ride is the one nearest Witney. It has 850 spaces, is accessible 24 hours a day, and has security, cycle storage, toilets and electric vehicle bays. Its direct junction onto the A40 is part of the Wolvercote scheme above, which is why the connection is still to come.

Traffic filters replace the congestion charge on Monday 28 September. This is the change that matters most to drivers coming in from Witney, because the £5 payment option disappears. From that date you cannot pay to pass a filter; you either hold a permit, drive a vehicle that is exempt, or go round. The six filters are at:

• Hollow Way and Marston Ferry Road, 7am to 9am and 3pm to 6pm, Monday to Saturday
• St Clement’s Street, St Cross Road, Hythe Bridge Street and Thames Street, 7am to 7pm, every day

All non-car vehicles are exempt, and there are 20 permit types for people such as carers and healthcare workers. Oxfordshire residents living outside Oxford can apply for a permit giving 25 day passes a year. Existing congestion charge permits transfer automatically, with day pass allocations reset. The fine is £70, reduced to £35 if paid within 21 days and rising to £105 if unpaid after 28 days, and a first contravention in the opening six months gets a warning notice instead.

The condition behind the 28 September date has now been met. Botley Road reopened to traffic on Sunday 20 September, ending more than three years of closure under the railway bridge, and the county’s reopening page now carries the detail: a signed 4.4 metre height limit, two new four metre walkways with one way cycleways, and a new footbridge from the Becket Street car park to the station front. Thames Water is still repairing a main at Osney Bridge overnight, 8pm to 6am with a lane closure, and has published no completion date.

Parking in Witney, and it is still free in the car parks

West Oxfordshire District Council states plainly that parking is free in all of its car parks. There is no tariff to check, only a maximum stay.

On-street is a different matter, and one road changed this month. West End became a formal residents’ permit street on 17 August, with permits at £70 a year. We have set out who is eligible, what it costs and what Witney Town Council said about it in West End parking permits now in force.

The council is repainting the bay lines in its car parks across the district. Woodford Way in Witney shut for two days from 25 August for its turn, and Charlbury is done. Black Bourton in Carterton and Albion Street in Chipping Norton are still to come, and the council has not published dates for them.

All six Witney car parks are open seven days a week. Woolgate is the largest and the closest to Shopmobility; Woodford Way and Marriotts Walk have the rapid electric vehicle chargers. With the High Street on northbound-only running, Woolgate and Marriotts Walk are the sensible approaches from the north, and Woodford Way from the south.

Checking what is closed today

This page covers the schemes and the dated orders. For a road that shut this morning, use these, in this order:

1. Oxfordshire County Council roadworks map, the county’s live view for county roads including the A40, A4095 and B4022.
2. Witney Town Council news, which publishes the statutory closure notices for Witney and the surrounding villages, usually a few weeks ahead of the works.
3. Public Notice Portal, which carries the full statutory traffic orders the county places in the local press, with exact extents, reasons and diversion routes.
4. West Oxfordshire temporary road closures for event closures in the towns and villages.

Frequently asked questions

Is Witney High Street closed?

No. It is open with northbound-only traffic while phase 2 of the works runs on the eastern side of the street. Access to all businesses is maintained. Phase 1, which ran from May to early August, was southbound only.

When will the Witney High Street works finish?

Oxfordshire County Council has scheduled completion for November, described elsewhere on its own timetable as autumn, subject to weather.

Which Witney roads close in September?

Station Lane, Court Gardens, Judds Close, Lowell Place, Bourton Close, Barrington Close and Aldsworth Court, all between 24 and 29 September, for microsurfacing. None of the notices gives a diversion route.

Is Upavon Way in Carterton still shut?

Only overnight, and only until the end of this week. The order closes Carr Avenue to Lord Close, 8pm to 6am, with the county’s maintenance table giving 25 September as the final night and the order allowing until the 26th. Access is kept for cyclists and pedestrians.

Are the new A40 Shores Green slip roads open?

Yes. The west-facing slip roads at the A40 and B4022 junction opened on 17 July, at a final cost of £26.8 million. The county’s project page is out of date and still describes construction in progress.

Is the A40 being dualled between Witney and Oxford?

Not in the funded scheme. The £126 million A40 project that received planning consent on 30 June delivers bus priority lanes, a new park and ride junction and active travel routes between Eynsham and Wolvercote. Dualling east of Witney is not part of it.

Do I have to pay to park in Witney?

Not in the district council’s car parks, which are free, including all six in Witney. What varies is the maximum stay, from four hours to twelve. On-street parking on West End now needs a resident’s permit or a two-hour stay.

When is Woodstock Street Fair, and what shuts?

From 10am on Sunday 4 October to 3am on Wednesday 7 October. Market Street, Market Place, High Street and Park Street are closed to vehicles. There is no diversion, because the closed area is a cul-de-sac ending at Blenheim Palace’s north-west gate.

Can I still pay £5 to drive into Oxford?

Only until the traffic filters start on 28 September. After that the payment option goes and you need a permit or an exempt vehicle. Oxfordshire residents outside Oxford can apply for 25 day passes a year.

Sources

• Witney Town Council news for the temporary traffic regulation orders at Station Lane, Court Gardens and Judds Close, Lowell Place, Bourton Close and Aldsworth Court, and the Crawley Road closure notice of 17 September.
• Oxfordshire County Council statutory traffic notices published through the Public Notice Portal on 12, 19, 20 and 26 August 2026, for Upavon Way (T18279/AC), Northwood Crescent (T18420/RAG), the A44 at Salford (T18359/RAG), Church Road Chadlington (T18310/RAG), the Minster Lovell and Asthall speed limit orders, the West End permit parking order, and the Barrington Close, Oscar Street, Frog Lane, Stonesfield, Playing Close, Manor Road and Ascott under Wychwood closures.
• Witney High Street and Market Square enhancements scheme, Oxfordshire County Council for phasing, funding and scheme contents.
• How we maintain our roads, Oxfordshire County Council for the resurfacing programme table.
• Access to Witney slip roads open, 17 July 2026 and the A40 Access to Witney / Shores Green project page.
• Major project to improve travel along A40 gets planning approval for the Eynsham to Wolvercote scheme.
• Free park and ride bus travel, Oxfordshire County Council for the 17 August change.
• About the traffic filters, Oxfordshire County Council for filter locations, hours, permits, fines and the Botley Road date.
• Where to park, West Oxfordshire District Council for car park locations, space counts and maximum stays.
• Woodstock Street Fair, Oxfordshire County Council, for the special event order, its extent, dates and parking suspensions.
• Reopening of Botley Road, Oxfordshire County Council for the 20 September reopening, the height limit and the Osney Bridge night works.
• Car park upgrades underway across the district, West Oxfordshire District Council, 24 August 2026 for the line repainting programme.

Checked on 23 September 2026 against the sources above. Two things could not be confirmed today. The county’s live roadworks map runs on one.network and returns nothing readable to us, so utility closures raised in the last few days may not appear here. And the Public Notice Portal now publishes only the titles of its traffic notices, not the wording, so a recent order that has not also appeared on a council website is not reflected above. Confirm against the county map before you set off.

Getting to a train is its own problem here. Witney train times to London compares the four stations Witney commuters actually use.