A34 traffic concerns delay Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme

Opponents say the removal of 400,000 cubic metres of topsoil and gravel in order to dig the channel will lead to more than 100 lorry movements every day for three years.

Highways England, which is in charge of motorways and other major routes, said it was working with the Environment Agency and the county council to minimise disruption.

Councillors warned earlier this year that the A34 through Oxfordshire is running 'over-capacity'.

Highways England spokesman Harry Bellew said the agency 'have no objection in principle to the delivery of the Environment Agency’s Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme'.

However, he went on: "Work is ongoing between Highways England, the Environment Agency and Oxfordshire County Council to identify and assess deliverable options to manage potential significant adverse impacts to the safe and efficient operation of the A34.

"It’s a complex piece of work but all parties are working together to find a resolution as early as possible in the new year."

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Highways England announced in October it has invested £10m into the Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme, a project that will enhance flood defences for the next 100 years.

The city has suffered some severe flooding over the past 20 years, which in some instances has closed major roads including the Botley and Abingdon roads.

The highways agency said: "Our involvement in the scheme is key to ensure the proposed link between Oxford and Milton Keynes is as protected as it can be. "Once complete, the risk of flooding will be reduced for at least 1,000 homes and businesses."

It added: "We’re one of eight partners working with the Environment Agency to make much-needed improvements to Oxford’s flood defences."

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Highways England said the scheme will see the existing flood plain lowered, a new watercourse created, and flood walls and embankments built.

It added: "It will ensure important infrastructure such as the A34, the main railway line, sewage services and other key utilities are protected.

"The money we’re contributing is from our Designated Funds programme, which aims to improve the places around our road network.

"As well as providing vital funding, we’re also part of the scheme’s steering group, offering our advice and expertise to help guide how the Environment Agency delivers the project."

In August it emerged that the replacement of a rail bridge was expected to delay the flood channel.

The county council said it needed to replace the Kennington rail bridge, which carries the A423, because bearings that support it have worn away.

The £40m work is unlikely to start until 2021, with construction expected to cause two years of disruption once it starts.

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Documents for the flood scheme warned in 2018 of Old Abingdon Road and Kennington Road shutting for more than a year once work starts, which would have a knock-on effect for the Southern Bypass and Abingdon Road.

Transport assessments by the Environment Agency also revealed that the main routes to be used by construction vehicles will be the A34, A420, Botley Road and West Way, and the number of vehicles required will equate to approximately 'one vehicle movement each way on the A34 every five minutes during working hours'.

This 'peak traffic level' is set to last for approximately 21 months within the three-year construction period.

Managers of the flood scheme have written to landowners and other interested parties to warn them that the bridge replacement is an 'unforeseen issue' that needs to be resolved before a date for a public inquiry is set.

The inquiry will deal with compulsory purchase orders of land required for the scheme.

In July the city and Oxfordshire county councils made formal objections to plans for the biggest ever project to stop flooding in the city.

The authorities, along with the Midcounties Co-op, have objected to the Environment Agency's plan to compulsorily buy their land for the flood scheme.

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They are among a host of landowners along the proposed route of the 5km channel from Botley Road to Kennington now fighting the CPOs.

The county council has not yet set a date for the planning application to be heard.

It said earlier: "We will continue to work with our partners on the Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme to ensure the effective delivery of the scheme in its totality."