WORK to transform a major junction in Oxford began yesterday.

Oxfordshire County Council is spending more than £6m to turn Kennington roundabout into a ‘hamburger’ junction.

The change will see a new carriageway for eastbound traffic go through the central island while, at Hinksey Hill, a new slip road from the Southern Bypass south on to the A34 will be created.

The work will include traffic-flow improvement measures at Hinksey Hill Interchange as well as the refurbishment of four bridges in the area.

About 60,000 vehicles pass through the junctions every day and the scheme has been designed to increase their capacity by 30 per cent in the evening peak.

But yesterday traffic along the A423 Southern Bypass was slower than usual because of the roadworks.

County councillor David Nimmo Smith, the cabinet member for transport, said: “This improvement work will bring major benefits to the flow of traffic to this congested part of the city. By including the bridge maintenance work at the same time, we can avoid further major disruptions in the near future.

“Traffic will be able to travel through the area during the work, and businesses will be open as usual. However drivers are advised to plan their journeys in advance to take account of delays.”

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