A4130 Steventon Lights integrated transport scheme
Scheme to support growth in both housing and employment planned in the Science Vale area.
About the improvements
The A4130 Steventon Lights integrated transport scheme aims to improve bus journey times and reliability, enhance walking and cycling facilities, and support housing and employment growth in the Science Vale area.
Construction began in November 2025 and will take about 12 months to complete.
Why are we investing here?
The area will see significant growth in housing and employment in the coming years. Investment is needed now to ensure the transport network meets future demands.
The aims of the scheme are to:
- facilitate improvement to public transport
- provide suitable infrastructure to encourage the use of sustainable and active travel modes (walking, wheeling, cycling)
- improve safety for all road users
- reduce congestion and capacity issues
- improve journey time reliability
- facilitate planned growth in the area
What are we delivering?
We are:
- Widening the A4130 Abingdon Road between the Steventon lights junction and the Milton Interchange with the provision of an eastbound bus lane.
- Upgrading the Trenchard Avenue junction to increase capacity to facilitate future growth and feature quality active travel infrastructure to support journeys on foot and by cycle.
- Building an eastbound bus lane between Steventon High Street junction with A4130 and Milton Interchange and dedicated cycleway and footway facilities for pedestrians and cyclists along A4130 between Steventon High Street junction with A4130 and Trenchard Avenue.
- Providing real-time bus information, including green-roof bus shelters and cycle parking to create a transport hub.
- Adding new traffic lights with crossing points at Trenchard Avenue/ A4130.
- Upgrading of Steventon High Street traffic lights with crossing points.
Image 1 - Improvements planned at the A4130 and Steventon High Street junction
Image 2 - Improvements planned at the A4130 and Steventon High Street junction
Upcoming surfacing work – April and May 2026
Surfacing of Steventon High Street and the A4130 at the temporary mini-roundabout will take place at night (8pm to 5am) between 27 April and mid-May. This work is key to enabling us to start working on the northern side of the carriageway.
The road will be closed for six nights only (27, 28, 29, 30 April, 1 and 5 May) between the Steventon rail bridge and the A4130, with two-way traffic maintained on the A4130/Abingdon Road. Traffic will be diverted via the A34, the B4017 and the A4130 with the route clearly signed at key junctions. Please follow the diversion (pdf format, 1.5 MB) and allow plenty of extra time for your journey. The road will reopen in the early hours of 6 May at 5am. The rest of works will be managed via temporary traffic light working.
You can expect:
- advance notice signage from one week before work starts, and additional site signage during the works
- temporary three-way traffic lights at the High Street junction during the nighttime road closure to allow space for construction vehicles
- pedestrian access during the works on the newly aligned footway with temporary surfacing.
We also need to temporarily remove the mini roundabout markings, so you can expect three-way temporary lights to be in place (24 hours) when the roundabout is removed until the new road markings are installed. The temporary mini-roundabout will be reinstalled once the surfacing is complete, around mid-May (weather permitting).
This is subject to change. More information about what to expect from the rest of construction will be made available soon on this project web page and in Oxfordshire County Council's .
What you can expect throughout construction
Outside of these specific works, temporary traffic lights will also be used during the day (off-peak working hours) along A4130 when required to help manage traffic at various locations and undertake construction works safely.
Temporary roundabouts at the High Street junction and three-way temporary traffic lights at the Milton Hill junction will continue to operate 24/7.
Traffic will be diverted onto the newly completed carriageway when available, or onto space adjacent to the existing carriageway, to provide a safe construction area for workers to finish sections.
There will be a temporary pedestrian crossing and temporary bus stops positioned on the A4130 to enable site clearance and construction in those areas. This will be clearly signed and areas made accessible.
We may need to close roads overnight for specific activities. If this is required, the properties affected will be notified in advance.
Trenchard Avenue will remain until the end of the project in late 2026.
There will be a temporary 30 miles per hour speed limit in place on the A4130 from Rowstock roundabout to Milton Interchange until the completion of the works in late 2026. Major roads approaching A4130 will also have speed restrictions in place.
Minimising the impact
We will work hard to minimise disruption as much as possible. Construction access to/from the site compound will be provided via Trenchard Avenue.
Any traffic management measures will be continually monitored throughout each day of construction, so that we can respond quickly to traffic conditions as they happen. We advise residents and commuters to plan their travel routes accordingly and to anticipate potential delays.
Residents and commuters are kindly requested to exercise caution while passing through any road works. In the event of an incident on the A34, traffic management will be reduced to a minimum where possible (subject to safety) to ease congestion.
Traffic management arrangements will also be available at https://one.network.
| Description | Timeline |
| Main construction works starts | November 2025 |
| Phase 2 completion (south side of A4130) | End of June 2026 |
| Phase 3 construction starts (north side of A4130) | End of June/July 2026 |
| Main construction works finish | Late 2026 |
Stay up to date on the work
You can email the team with a question or call our customer services team, who will arrange for someone to get in touch with you.
Email us: steventon.lights@oxfordshire.gov.uk
Call our customer services team: 01865 792422
For informatin about other planned roadworks or incidents, visit https://one.network.
Or write to:
Oxfordshire County Council,
County Hall,
New Road,
Oxford,
OX1 1ND.
Sign up for news on transport improvements
You can keep up to date with the A4130 Steventon Lights integrated transport project by signing up to receive regular news and alerts from Oxfordshire County Council's Travel Bulletin. Select roads and transport (and anything else you may be interested in) when you sign up, and in your first email from us you’ll get the chance to tell us exactly which programmes you want to hear about.
Sign up for news on transport improvements
Select roads and transport (and anything else you may be interested in) when you sign up, and in your first email from us you’ll get the chance to tell us exactly which programmes you want to hear about.
More information
Is planning consent required?
No. As the scheme's design and construction are within the existing highway boundary, planning permission is not required.
Will the improvements increase the likelihood of flooding in the area?
As part of the scheme, all surface water drainage will be upgraded to alleviate the current flooding issues.
How much will it cost?
The A4130 Steventon Lights Integrated transport scheme will cost approximately £13.3million.
Where is the money coming from to pay for it?
It is being financed through a combination of City Deal, Housing and Growth Deal funding and Section 106 contributions from developers.
How will construction traffic access and leave the site?
Construction traffic will access the works sites via specific access points, which will be controlled by traffic management operatives. A site compound is located on Trenchard Avenue.
What is the width of the proposed cycleway and footway?
2.5m with 0.5m separation strip totalling 3m wide in accordance with LTN1/20 standards for 30mph.
How many new bus stops will there be, and what style?
Two new bus stops will be on either side of Trenchard Avenue. These will have living green roofs to help improve native biodiversity in the area.
Will there be temporary bus stops during the construction works? Where will these be located?
Temporary bus stops will be provided as close to existing ones during the construction phase.
Will there be a change to the speed limit on the A4130 between Steventon and the Milton Interchange when construction is finished?
Yes, the speed limit within the scheme will be reduced to 30mph.
Will the road be street-lit?
Yes, the lighting will be LED and directional, eliminating light spill beyond the road surface.
Will there be noise and dust during construction?
Due to the nature of the work, there will be noise and dust during construction. However, we will ensure that water suppression is used to keep dust to a minimum and that noisy work will be undertaken sensitively during daytime hours where possible. There may be times when we need to work overnight. We will inform residents of these times and works and seek to mitigate any noise disturbance where possible.
Will you remove any vegetation or trees?
Early phase works in 2024 involved clearing a site compound off Trenchard Avenue and clearing trees, vegetation, and scrub along the route. A field ecologist was on site to advise and ensure compliance with relevant legislation. To start essential road widening works in November 2025 we then had to remove additional trees and vegetation on the south side of the A4130 that had regrown.
Essential work to remove additional trees and other vegetation on the north side of A4130, between High Street junction and Milton Interchange was complete in spring 2026. Some trees were too close to overhead cables, their root protection zones extended into areas required for earthworks or clearance was needed to accommodate a utility diversion. We worked with OCC tree officers and under a watching brief for nesting birds where work is stopped and the area protected if any nesting is found. If any further clearance is required, we will work under the same watching brief.
Only the trees necessary for us to build these improvements are being removed and we are exploring ways to replace the trees, alongside plans for sowing wildflower seeds.
What will the emergency services do?
Emergency services will have access at all times.
What will happen to the construction access upon completion of the works?
Construction access points and site compound areas will be cleaned and cleared and replanted upon completion and any fencing will be reinstated.
Will the contractor be using local subcontractors?
It is Oxfordshire County Council's policy to use local sub-contractors where possible.
Will the contractor employ apprentices?
It is Oxfordshire County Council's policy to ensure that each project employs apprentices where possible.