A pedestrian and cycling route will become available adjacent to Botley Road, following uncertainty about whether it would ever be completed.
The northern pedestrian and cycling path running alongside Botley Road is scheduled to commence operations on Sunday, September 20, despite Network Rail previously expressing concerns about whether it could meet the deadline.
The southern route towards the road has accommodated walkers and cyclists travelling between Botley and Oxford city centre for several months while restoration work continued on the northern section.
Oxfordshire Connect, the local division of Network Rail, has now verified that both the pedestrian walkways and cycling lanes will be fully operational when Botley Road reopens to vehicular traffic.
The organisation expressed satisfaction at being able to confirm the pathway opening, following earlier uncertainty.
Network Rail stated on Tuesday that Botley Road would definitely reopen to traffic but noted that work continued to ensure both new pedestrian routes would be available simultaneously, with a further update on whether the northern section could open at the same time expected later that week.
Pedestrians will be permitted to move in both directions along both the northern and southern walkways, while cyclists must adhere to a one-way system.
Cyclists using the northern route will be required to travel eastbound towards Oxford city centre, while those on the southern route must proceed westbound towards Botley.
The new routes have undergone improvements including paved surfaces and tarmacadam.
Botley Road closed at the railway bridge in April 2023 to facilitate works associated with a substantial upgrade of Oxford railway station, with a previous target reopening date of August 31 this year.
Multiple setbacks have affected the scheme throughout its duration, with expenditure escalating from an initial projection of £161 million to approximately £237 million.
The Oxford West and Abingdon Member of Parliament subsequently referred the project to the National Audit Office.
Despite the imminent reopening, Network Rail has additionally declined to publish a schedule for construction of a proposed western entrance to the station, nor has any funding information been disclosed.
Rail industry specialist Paul Clifton, who served as a BBC transport correspondent for three decades and contributes regularly to Rail Magazine, suggested that financing for the western entrance remained uncertain due to broader financial constraints affecting the railway network, primarily stemming from the expenditure requirements of HS2.
Councillor Anna Railton, who inspected the site last weekend, observed that the project had taken considerably longer than anticipated and had caused prolonged inconvenience to local residents and businesses, but expressed satisfaction that traffic would return to Botley Road the following weekend.
She noted that the reopening encompassed not merely the road itself but also improved facilities for pedestrians and cyclists, enhanced bus services as standard double-decker vehicles could now pass beneath the bridge, and forthcoming enhancements to rail services.