Oxford's Botley Road bridge cost £237m and took 41 months — more than the London Eye and TWICE as long

From the Newshound archive · first published 22 September 2026 · last updated 23 September 2026.

Oxford's Botley Road has reopened following a 41-month closure, with the rail bridge project's final cost reaching £237.4million — £90million more than the London Eye, which was completed in just 14 months. Spending came in 47 per cent above the original £161million budget, despite a reduced scope of work; a new platform and western station entrance were among the elements dropped for lack of funding. Buried Victorian brickwork, a Second World War grenade, and a tangle of unmapped utility pipes were behind the repeated delays and escalating costs.

The road shut in April 2023, with reopening originally scheduled for October 2024; that deadline and several subsequent ones were missed.

Residents and critics have met the reopening with scepticism, with reports that it has brought "no change" to the area's layout.

Network Rail's wider Oxford station upgrade — the underlying reason for the closure — remains incomplete, with several key elements still awaiting funding that has not yet been secured.