Oxford’s Botley Road reopened to traffic on Sunday 20 September 2026, ending a roughly three-and-a-half-year closure that forced taxis onto a six-mile detour.
Oxford Mail and trade reporting report cabbies welcoming the reopening after works under the railway bridge for Oxford station expansion — a scheme whose reported cost rose from about £161m to £237m. Driver Zulfiqur Khan said explaining the diversion to tourists had been tough. From 28 September the temporary £5 congestion charge at traffic filters is due to give way to a longer filters trial, so access rules will keep changing even with Botley Road open.