Two roadworks schemes are running at the same time in Abingdon for around six weeks from Monday 28 September. The schemes involve temporary traffic lights on Peachcroft roundabout and the nearby A34 Lodge Hill junction. Both are causing delays on the A4183 and surrounding roads.
Two schemes, six weeks, one shared delay
The first scheme is by housing developer David Wilson Homes at Peachcroft roundabout. Temporary lights control traffic where the roundabout connects the A4183, Dunmore Road and Twelve Acre Drive. The second scheme is Oxfordshire County Council’s junction upgrade at Lodge Hill on the A34. This uses two-way temporary signals along the A4183 between the Lodge Hill garage entrance and the new south roundabout.
Oxfordshire County Council usually does not permit two roadworks so close together at the same time. The risk of additional congestion and delay is high.
Why run two schemes together?
Oxfordshire County Council has made a deliberate choice to overlap these schemes. Councillor Liz Leffman, Cabinet Member for Highways Construction and Repair, said the decision reduces the overall disruption period. Running the schemes one after the other would lengthen the total time residents face roadworks, even though peak delays would be less intense.
Allowing concurrent schemes compounds delay for about six weeks. However, it means both projects finish sooner overall.
How the temporary lights affect traffic
Roundabouts usually keep traffic flowing by reducing hard stops. Adding temporary traffic lights changes this dynamic. Each direction becomes a controlled movement, reducing capacity. Traffic gaps close and smaller surges become queues.
On Peachcroft roundabout, this means more delay than usual. Combined with two-way signals at Lodge Hill, daily journeys along the A4183 will take longer.
Managing the disruption
The council is coordinating activities to maintain access where possible and limit unnecessary disruption to residents, businesses and public transport operators. This coordination is complex, as the two schemes are run by separate organisations on the same stretch of road.
However, the underlying impact remains. Drivers will face delays stacking across the shared six-week period.
What this means for drivers and the sector
Drivers using the A4183 and Peachcroft roundabout should allow extra travel time, especially during peak hours. A clear approach at one set of lights does not guarantee smooth flow through the rest of the route.
This case stands as an example of local highway authority transparency. It shows a clear explanation of a trade-off, rather than leaving residents to assume poor planning. Similar patterns apply elsewhere, such as in Cornwall with A30 works and their impact on local traffic.
