TRAFFIC chaos has gripped Oxford today, with the A34 closed after a lorry struck a roadworks vehicle in the early hours of this morning.
The lorry overturned on impact and hit the central reservation causing extensive damage shortly before 3am.
The southbound lanes reopened about 5pm following barrier repairs.
On the #A34 #Oxfordshire the southbound carriageway is now open btwn #M40 #Bicester and #A420 #Oxford. All barrier repairs have been completed and the HGV has been recovered. Delays have eased considerably. All lanes also open on the northbound carriageway. pic.twitter.com/ZPLb5vjOYX
— Highways England (@HighwaysEAST) September 6, 2018
Emergency services initially closed the A34 heading southbound between the Peartree Interchange and Botley Interchange.
The driver of the HGV suffered minor injuries and was taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital by an ambulance, which arrived at about 3.20am.
The closure was extended by Highways England due to 'severe congestion and safety' heading southbound and closed the carriageway from Junction 9 of the M40 for Bicester.
Lane 2 heading northbound at the same point was also closed to allow for repairs to the barrier.
Some drivers told the Oxford Mail this morning that their usual journeys of 45 minutes took nearly four hours.
The stretch was closed until about 5pm.
Lorry overturned last night closing #A34 #oxford. Hope no one hurt. Big lorries stranded and already busy at Headington Roundabout too. pic.twitter.com/u3Q2RNmeRb
— Casual Son (@Casualson) September 6, 2018
Delays were well over an hour for motorists in both directions the A34 alone and were also particularly heavy heading north from Abingdon towards Oxford.
Picture by T E Shepherd on Twitter
Traffic was diverted and drivers travelling southbound were told to follow the 'solid black triangle'.
Drivers were rerouted along the Oxford ring road to join back on to the A34 at Hinksey Hill Interchange.
The A34 closure will be in place possibly for the rest of the day. This will unfortunately impact most of our services, however, the Abingdon routes seem to be most affected. Thank you for your patience.
— Oxford Bus Company (@OxfordBusCo) September 6, 2018
The closure impacted roads right around the city, with long delays also reported on the A420 and A44.
Ah. First day back at school and the inevitable crash on the #A34 - good thing I don't have a 9am meeting (and for that matter a 10am meeting). See you at lunchtime @OxUInnovation pic.twitter.com/zl6ETSlOFf
— Mark Mann (@oxfordmann) September 6, 2018
The traffic situation as of 12.45pm - pic Google
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