THE next phase of works in a £12.5m Oxford infrastructure improvement programme has been unveiled – with householders warned to 'plan ahead' and expect disruption.

Phase one of Oxfordshire County Council’s Access to Headington project, which began in October centring on the Warneford Road and Roosevelt Drive junction has now come to an end.

At an exhibition at Bullingdon Community Centre on Thursday, phase two of the sweeping roadworks project was revealed with residents warned to expect significant traffic disruption for six months when it begins in April along The Slade, Wood Farm.

Project sponsor at the county council Isaac Webb, said: "As a result of the works, people will be delayed and journeys disrupted.

"We are looking at managing that as best as we can but we are encouraging people to plan ahead.

"We are starting in the middle of April. We expect to have a site presence on the 10th but no meaningful work until the 18th in time for the Easter holiday when the roads are quieter."

During the works, the road will be narrowed to 6.75m and all seven existing parking bays will be taken away and on-screen parking removed altogether along the entire stretch of road.

The works, the second wave of the 23-month long scheme, will also see pedestrian crossings upgraded, new footpaths and hybrid bicycle lanes installed and kerbs re-aligned.

Roadworks will be carried out between 7.45am and 5.45pm Monday to Friday and Saturday mornings between 7am and 1pm with occasional night work as well as some lane closures.

Lye Valley county councillor Liz Brighouse accepted that there would be traffic problems for residents but said that 'something had to be done' to cut down the number of cars.

She said: “There is going to be increased traffic there and I will be interested to see how they can manage the traffic this time.

“The reality is there are far too many cars coming into that area and we have got to do something.

“We have to try and get people moving a bit better than they are now, especially in the morning. Because for residents it’s very difficult travelling around and I hope it will alleviate that."

One Wood Farm Road resident, Richard Anderson, meanwhile, called the whole scheme a 'scandalous waste of money' and said it would not change people's habits and cut the number of cars.

The 67-year old said at the exhibition: "This is one of the busiest roads in Oxford. There are huge problems for people living here.

"We live there, we are living with it. This scheme is a scandalous waste of tax payers money, and they haven't listened to us, the residents who live here.

"We have lived here for 35 years and Wood Farm is becoming a park and ride at the moment. It isn't a very nice area anymore and this is going to make it worse.

"People are not going to get out of cars and on to buses if their bus is stuck in traffic all the time."