Drivers are facing delays today through Frideswide Square in Oxford today due to temporary traffic lights.

The lights have been set up either side of the Botley Road rail bridge as the £5.8m scheme to revamp the square continues.

The revamp launched in February and is due to finish on December 17.

Traffic is moving but it is taking longer than usual to get through the square and queues are building on Botley Road and in Hythe Bridge Street.

Oxford Bus Company said its services are not calling at the railway station and Stagecoach added that the 14 and S3 services were also not caling at the station.

A contractor working at the site it was expected that the temporary lights would be in place until about 3pm..

The work is expected to continue tomorrow and for the rest of the week with the lights operational throughout.

County council cabinet member for transport David Nimmo Smith said: "I went through the square yesterday and could see contractors working well - they are cracking on to get the work finished by December 17."

Katie Withers-Green, retail assistant at the Oxford Wine Company in Botley Road said it had taken customers 15 minutes to get to the shop from the traffic lights at McDonalds.
She said: "It has been particularly bad today - our driver was supposed to be here at 11am but he got round at about one."

A spokeswoman for the county council said: "There is off-peak resurfacing and lining work being done today, tomorrow and Thursday between 10am – 3pm and on Sunday between 9am and 4pm.

"Temporary manually controlled lights are in place during the work.

"This is one of the final phases of work on the square and includes resurfacing and completing anti-skid road markings.

"Subject to favourable weather conditions, the surfacing work should be complete by this Sunday.

"We apologise for the delays during our off-peak works."

"Laing O’Rourke has removed their temporary lights on Thames Street to assist the final phases of Frideswide Square.”