Key road bridge replacement plan gets go-ahead

The bridge was built in the 1960s and is at the end of its useable life

A £90m plan to replace a bridge that is set to cause two years of delays for road users has been given planning permission.

Oxfordshire County Council first said Kennington Bridge needed to be replaced in 2019.

About 50,000 people use it every day as it carries the A423 over railway tracks.

But the authority said more work now needs to be done on a “detailed design and construction methodology” before the bridge can be replaced.

"This will help us more accurately estimate construction cost and programme with the contractor, and we will then be able to publish an expected scheme timeline," a council spokesperson added.

Previously, the authority said future work was expected to mean a contraflow system would need to be in place for about two years and four months.

The current bridge was built in 1965 and is on the route of the Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme, which the county council's planning committee approved in July.

The planned bridge should last for 120 years, documents state.