National contractor GRAHAM has reached a new milestone in its Clifton Hampden Bypass project, opening part of the carriageway up to cars for the first time.
The scheme’s initial major traffic switch went live on Monday 12 October, six months on from the contractor’s appointment.
The bypass is one of three construction contracts in Oxfordshire County Council’s Didcot and surrounding areas major infrastructure (HIF1) scheme – a £332m programme of work aimed at making journey times more reliable, improving walking and cycling links, and supporting new homes and jobs around Didcot in south Oxfordshire.
The £37m Clifton Hampden Bypass section will deliver a 2.2km single carriageway to connect the B4015 Oxford Road to the A415 at Culham Science Centre and bypass the village of Clifton Hampden in Oxfordshire.
To deliver the switch, the team worked around the clock for 62 hours, beginning on Friday 9 October. Excavation, pavement construction, drainage connections, road markings, signage and commissioning were all completed within a tightly controlled programme.
The switch changed how traffic gets into and out of three key sites along the route: Culham Science Centre, the business area at Culham Site No.1 and Culham station. All three are now reached via newly built sections of highway, with improved access to the station making it easier for local residents and commuters to reach the rail network.
The change also frees up the existing stretches of road to be absorbed into the new bypass, while keeping connections to the local road network in place.
The milestone caps a busy first earthworks season for the contractor. Alongside large-scale cut and fill, embankment construction and formation preparation along the route, the team has created a dedicated footpath giving pedestrians and cyclists safe access to and from Culham station and nearby bus stops. All five major culverts are now in, together with significant sections of the permanent drainage network.
Reaching this stage of the project unlocks further construction areas for GRAHAM, allowing the next phases of the bypass works to progress efficiently and safely.
One complete, the Clifton Hampden Bypass will form a 2.2km long single carriageway road with segregated walking and cycling facilities. Once open, it will take through-traffic out of Clifton Hampden village, including the area around the primary school.
John Deery Project Director at GRAHAM, said: “It’s a great feeling to see cars on the new road. A lot of work went into that weekend, and I’m proud of how the team and our supply chain pulled together to get it done.
“We’ve worked alongside Oxfordshire County Council for a long time now, and that relationship really matters on a job like this. We plan together, we’re honest about the challenges and we tackle them together. That’s what being a partner means to us.
“The Clifton Hampden Bypass and the Didcot to Culham River Crossing are two parts of the same picture. Together with the wider Didcot scheme, they’ll make a real difference to how people get around this part of Oxfordshire. We’re proud to be playing such a big part in it.”
Councillor Liz Leffman, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways Construction and Repair, said: “The successful completion of the traffic switch marks a significant achievement for this section of the scheme, enabling traffic to utilise newly constructed sections of highway while providing access to local businesses and maintaining connectivity with the local road network.
“The transformation across the site has been remarkable and I am pleased with how well the project is progressing.”