A34 southbound shuts overnight, Pear Tree to Marcham, until 30 September. Botley Road reopens 20 September and Oxford's traffic filters start 28 September.
The main road out of Abingdon towards Oxford is shut overnight, and will be for another four weeks. Three more dates this month change how you get into Oxford at all. Here is what is closed now, what is coming, and what it costs to park when you get there.
Last checked against the source notices on 1 September 2026.
Closed right now
Every closure below comes from a temporary traffic order made by Oxfordshire County Council under section 14 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, and published in full on the Public Notice Portal.
| Where | What | When | Until |
|---|---|---|---|
| A34 southbound, Pear Tree Roundabout to Marcham Interchange | Closed to through traffic for resurfacing, with hard shoulder and layby closures at work sites | 8pm to 6am nightly and some weekends | 30 September |
| A4183 Oxford Road, Lodge Hill | Southbound lane closed, two-way temporary lights | 24 hours a day | 16 September |
| A415, Culham to Clifton Hampden | Speed limit cut from 60mph to 40mph over about 2,500 metres | 24 hours a day | 31 January 2028 |
| Bow Road, Stanford in the Vale (Stanford House to Chapel Road) | Closed to repair and replace a damaged culvert; diversion via the B4508, Cottage Road and Faringdon Road | 24 hours a day, from 1 September | Expected to take two months |
| Kysbie Close footpath, Abingdon (number 44 to the cycle track) | Closed for electrical maintenance | 24 hours a day, from 1 September | 18 September |
| Thames Valley Path at Culham (footpath 183/11/80) | Closed for the Didcot to Culham river crossing; no nearby alternative crossing | 24 hours a day | 30 November 2027 |
The A34 southbound closure is the one that will cost you time. It runs the whole length between the Pear Tree Roundabout, north of Oxford, and the Marcham Interchange, which is the junction Abingdon uses. The order came into force on 17 August and the resurfacing is expected to take until 30 September.
Two different signed diversions apply, depending on which phase of the work is running:
- First phase: the Oxford ring road, A44 south, A40 east, A4142 south, then A423 west back to the A34.
- Second phase: A423 east, A4074 Heyford Hill south, then A415 west into Abingdon and on to the A34.
The overnight closure of High Street at Clifton Hampden, for parapet repairs to the bridge, ran to 29 August and has now ended. The 40mph and 20mph limits on the A415 either side of it remain in force.
Botley Road reopens on Sunday 20 September
Botley Road, the main western approach into Oxford, has been shut at the railway bridge since April 2023 while Network Rail rebuilds it as part of the Oxford station upgrade. It was due to reopen at the end of August. It did not.
During excavation for the new road layout, three minor gas leaks were found on a section of gas main owned by SGN. Network Rail let SGN replace the pipe rather than reopen the road and dig it up again later. On 29 July 2026 it set the new date: Botley Road reopens to traffic on Sunday 20 September 2026.
That date has not moved since. It is also backed by a piece of physical evidence: the county council made an order on 17 August closing Botley Road overnight between Abbey Road and Binsey Lane from 24 August until 31 August for carriageway resurfacing. That window has now passed. Final surfacing is the last job before a road opens.
The reaction from the Vale to the July delay was blunt. In a statement on 24 July, the leader of Vale of White Horse District Council, Cllr Bethia Thomas, said that “to have the long-promised opening so close, and then to have it snatched away again, like so many times before over the last two years, it is utterly unacceptable”. She described simple journeys to work or school taking hours, with people with mobility issues worst affected.
Until 20 September, traffic from Abingdon and the western Vale towards central Oxford still has to use the A34 and the ring road rather than cutting through Botley.
Oxford’s traffic filters start on Monday 28 September
Eight days after Botley Road reopens, the way you drive into Oxford changes again. Oxfordshire County Council confirmed on 6 August that its traffic filter trial starts on Monday 28 September, replacing the temporary congestion charge.
This matters more to Abingdon than to most places, because the filters are what the £5 charge becomes, and the £5 charge is what most Vale drivers have been paying.
What changes on 28 September:
- You can no longer pay to drive through a filter. The £5 congestion charge option ends. Cars need a valid permit; every other type of vehicle is exempt.
- Vale residents get 25 day passes a year. Residents inside the Oxford permit area get 100. Existing congestion charge permits transfer automatically and allocations reset.
- The penalty is £70, reduced to £35 if paid within 21 days. For the first six months, the first time a car passes a filter without a permit brings a warning notice rather than a fine.
- A six-month public consultation opens the same day.
The six filter locations and their hours are unchanged from the congestion charge:
- Marston Ferry Road and Hollow Way: Monday to Saturday, 7am to 9am and 3pm to 6pm.
- Hythe Bridge Street, St Cross Road, St Clement’s Street and Thames Street: every day, 7am to 7pm.
The council’s own point is that with Botley Road open, everywhere in Oxford is reachable by car without crossing a filter, though you may need a different route. The start date is explicitly conditional on Botley Road reopening on 20 September, so if the road slips again, the filters almost certainly slip with it.
A34 Lodge Hill: the junction being finished this winter
The A34 junction at Lodge Hill, between Abingdon and Oxford, has only ever had north-facing slip roads. Oxfordshire County Council is building south-facing slips, with traffic calming on the local roads, a rebuilt private access and an upgraded southbound layby at Harwell. Balfour Beatty is the contractor and £17.33 million of the funding is a Homes England infrastructure grant.
Main construction started on 3 September 2025 and runs in six stages to the end of 2026, with the new junction due to open in winter 2026. Stages 1 and 2 are complete.
What that means on the ground now:
- The A4183 Oxford Road southbound lane is closed between the A34 southbound off slip and just before the Lodge Hill garage, until 16 September. Two-way temporary lights run 24 hours a day and are staffed during the day.
- The southbound bus stop on the A4183 has moved about 120 metres further south, opposite the entrance to the Lodge Hill garage.
- Traffic heading south towards Abingdon now runs onto the southern arm of the new south roundabout. Vehicles leaving the A34 by the southbound off slip must give way to traffic from the right.
- A 30mph limit is in force on the A4183 between Sugworth Lane and the Lodge Hill garage.
- Stage 6, in winter 2026, brings overnight closures between 8pm and 6am on the A4183 for final surfacing.
- Most work runs 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, with nothing on Sundays or public holidays.
Coming up: September and October
Several closures are already booked or advertised for the next few weeks. The Kysbie Close and Bow Road closures listed above started on 1 September. The dates below are proposals, which is the stage before an order is made, so treat them as intentions rather than commitments.
- Abbott Road, Abingdon: proposed closure, 28 September to 2 October.
- Gibson Close, Abingdon: proposed closure, 28 September to 1 October.
- Hilliat Fields, Drayton: proposed closure for microsurfacing, 29 September to 2 October.
- Hampden Road, Wantage: proposed closure for microsurfacing, 29 September to 3 October. Diversion via Trinder Road, Harcourt Road and Tirrold Way.
- Mill Lane, East Hendred: proposed closure for microsurfacing, 30 September to 3 October.
One longer-term restriction is also worth noting if you drive the A415 east of Abingdon. The speed limit cut on Abingdon Road, Clifton Hampden took effect on 31 August: 40mph from South Cottage to the High Street junction, then 20mph from there to Thame Lane. It is in place to let construction traffic reach Thame Lane for the HIF1 scheme, and the order runs to 31 August 2027.
Where to check what is shut today
Roadworks change weekly, so treat any list as a snapshot and check before a journey that matters.
- one.network is the national roadworks map and carries Oxfordshire County Council’s permits. Search Abingdon for every booked closure and its dates.
- Oxfordshire County Council roadworks for the county’s own schemes, including the Lodge Hill pages.
- National Highways live travel updates for the A34 itself, which is a National Highways road rather than a county one.
- Abingdon Town Council road closures lists closures booked inside the town with their reference numbers.
Parking in Abingdon: what it costs in 2026
Vale of White Horse District Council froze car park fees for 2026/27 at its cabinet meeting in February 2026, so the tariffs set on 1 April 2025 still apply. There are two price scales, and the difference between them over a working day is £2.
Charging periods are Monday to Saturday, 8am to 6pm in all pay and display car parks. Rye Farm, Hales Meadow and Abbey Close also charge on Sundays, 10am to 5pm. The first hour is free everywhere.
| Stay | Abbey Close, Cattle Market, Civic, West St Helen St | Audlett Drive, Rye Farm, Hales Meadow | Charter multi-storey (levels 1 and 2, short stay) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 1 hour | Free | Free | Free |
| Up to 2 hours | £2.00 | £1.50 | £2.00 |
| Up to 3 hours | £3.00 | £2.00 | £3.00 |
| Up to 4 hours | £4.00 | £3.00 | — |
| Up to 5 hours | £5.00 | £3.50 | — |
| Up to 6 hours | £6.00 | £4.00 | — |
| Over 6 hours | £7.00 | £5.00 | — |
The free first hour is worth knowing if you are heading to the Market Place. It covers the County Hall Museum and most of the town-centre attractions comfortably.
The Charter multi-storey is short stay only, up to three hours, and only levels 1 and 2 are on that tariff. If your car is removed from it, the vehicle release fee is £55.
If you park all day for work, buy a permit rather than a ticket. Audlett Drive and Rye Farm annual permits are £780, or £65 a month. The town-centre permit covering Abbey Close, Cattle Market and West St Helen Street is £1,092 a year, or £91 a month. Over 230 working days, the £780 permit works out at about £3.39 a day against £5 on the ticket machine.
The same two scales run in Wantage (Portway and the Mill Street Undercroft on the higher scale, Limborough Road A and B on the lower) and in Faringdon, where Gloucester Street is on the higher scale and Southampton Street gives two hours free before charging £3 for three.
Driving into Oxford: use Redbridge, and buy the £3 ticket
The nearest park and ride to Abingdon is Redbridge, on Old Abingdon Road, OX1 4XG, straight up the A4144 at the end of the A34 run. It has 1,070 bays, 20 of them accessible, and Oxford Bus Company’s service 300 runs into the city centre.
The ticket changed on 17 August 2026. Free park and ride bus travel has ended. In its place, a £3 combined ticket covers up to 16 hours of parking plus return bus travel into Oxford for up to five people of any age.
The details that catch people out:
- Buy it at the car park machine or on the RingGo app, and select the Parking & Bus option for £3. It is not applied automatically.
- It is valid on any Stagecoach, Oxford Bus Company or Thames Travel bus stopping inside a park and ride site, not only the named park and ride services.
- It is not valid on Oxford Bus Company’s Airline services or the Oxford Tube.
- It is not valid for journeys away from Oxford. You cannot use it to travel from Redbridge to Abingdon.
- It is available at Redbridge, Pear Tree, Seacourt, Thornhill and Oxford Parkway.
Parking on its own is free for the first hour, then £2.50 for up to 16 hours, £4.50 for 16 to 24 hours, £8.50 for 24 to 48 hours and £12.50 for 48 to 72 hours. For a family of five the £3 ticket is a straight saving. For a lone commuter it is 50p more than parking alone used to cost.
If your journey ends in London rather than Oxford, the sums are different again. The three stations that serve Abingdon, their journey times and the £6,692 season ticket are on our trains to London page.
Frequently asked questions
Is the A34 closed near Abingdon?
The A34 southbound is closed to through traffic overnight, between the Pear Tree Roundabout and the Marcham Interchange, from 8pm to 6am and on some weekends. The closure is for resurfacing and runs until 30 September 2026. The road is open as normal during the day.
When does Botley Road reopen?
Sunday 20 September 2026, the date Network Rail set on 29 July 2026. It had been due to reopen at the end of August, but three gas leaks found during excavation added work by SGN. The road is being resurfaced overnight between 24 and 31 August, which is the last job before reopening.
What happens to the Oxford congestion charge on 28 September?
It is replaced by the traffic filter trial. From that date you can no longer pay £5 to drive through a filter. Cars need a permit; all other vehicles are exempt. Residents of the Vale and the rest of Oxfordshire get 25 day passes a year, against 100 for residents inside the Oxford permit area.
What is happening on the A34 at Lodge Hill?
Oxfordshire County Council is adding south-facing slip roads to the A34 junction between Abingdon and Oxford, which currently has north-facing slips only. Construction started on 3 September 2025 and the new junction is due to open in winter 2026. The A4183 southbound lane is closed there until 16 September.
How much is parking in Abingdon?
The first hour is free in every council car park. After that it is £2 for two hours in Abbey Close, Cattle Market, Civic and West St Helen Street, or £1.50 in Audlett Drive, Rye Farm and Hales Meadow. All day costs £7 on the first scale and £5 on the second. Fees are frozen for 2026/27.
Is Sunday parking free in Abingdon?
In most council car parks, yes. Charging periods run Monday to Saturday, 8am to 6pm. The exceptions are Rye Farm, Hales Meadow and Abbey Close, which also charge on Sundays from 10am to 5pm.
Where do I check live roadworks near Abingdon?
Use one.network, the national roadworks map that carries Oxfordshire County Council’s permits, and National Highways for the A34 itself.
Sources
- Oxfordshire County Council temporary traffic orders under section 14 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, published on the Public Notice Portal, for the A34 southbound closure (ref T18121/JP), Botley Road resurfacing (T18298/AC), Clifton Hampden High Street (T18166/AC), Kysbie Close footpath (T7763/MR), Bow Road, Stanford in the Vale (T18318/MR), the A415 speed restrictions and the Culham footpath closure (T17198/AC), plus the proposed orders for Hilliat Fields, Hampden Road and Mill Lane.
- Network Rail: new date for Botley Road reopening, 29 July 2026 and the status update of 22 July 2026 for the reopening date and the gas-main delay.
- Oxfordshire County Council: traffic filter trial to start on 28 September, 6 August 2026 for the filter locations, hours, permit allocations and penalties.
- Statement from the Leader of Vale of White Horse District Council, 24 July 2026 for the council’s response.
- Oxfordshire County Council: A34 Lodge Hill Interchange for the scheme stages, current traffic management and completion date.
- Abingdon Town Council road closures for closures booked inside the town.
- Vale of White Horse notice of variation of car park charges for the statutory tariff tables, and the council’s car parks page and its February 2026 announcement that fees are frozen for 2026/27.
- Oxfordshire County Council: Redbridge park and ride and the combined park and ride ticket for bay counts, tariffs and the £3 ticket that replaced free bus travel on 17 August 2026.
Roadworks dates move. Everything above was checked against the source notices on 1 September 2026; confirm on one.network or the scheme page before relying on a date.
Have your say
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