A Bridge Too Far (Part 2)

 What's Going On?

Look up Network Rail's postings about Botley Road Bridge and they tend to be "officially" positive. But the work is complex so moving the pipes is taking time, considerable time. They are big pipes!

There have also been revelations that they have found things that they did not expect; like some support structures under the road surface.

You would have thought that somebody would have known what was down there; but, if it isn't all on line, maybe nobody remembered! Whatever the cause, the project has been beset by a series of minor but non critical delays.

But back to Saturday 12th inst when the fbbs arrived on their X9 from Wantage. As the bus nipped off to its little resting place at the former YHA site ...

... fbb and No 1 son took stock of the situation. Actually they took into stock a pizza in the Holly Bush before proceeding. 

Everything omnibological approaching along the Botley Road can get no further than a temporary stop across the road from said hostelry.

Passengers streamed towards the city centre, glumly accepting that it would be a significant walk.

On the same side as the Holly Bush, two stops had been established to split the queues a bit and allow two buses to be "on the stand" at the same time.

It was a gloomy day so pictures are not ideal, but fbb was baffled by route E1 - of which more in a mini-blog later.

The 400 is a cross-city Park and Ride which no longer crosses the city.

In recent years, it has replaced a 4B (or was it 4) to Harcourt Hill. GoAhead cannot manage a PDF map for the 400 and it is wrong anyway; but the route now runs via the P&R and on to Harcourt Hill.

Needless to say, the computer doesn't know where Seacourt Park and Ride is, so it doesn't appear on the map for buses to Seacourt Park & Ride. But fbb knows; it is the blobby bit just above "South Oxford".

Of the three fours, only the 4A remains ...

... also passing the Park & Ride but, this time, with an informative PDF map!

Anyway, off goes fbb and son to explore the bridge.

The twosome trudge tentatively over the Thames and past the ex YHA bus "depot" ...

...where their X9 is grazing peacefully.

Then the fun begins.

They stride off through the original foot tunnel on the south side of the road. But the station and its buses are on the north side.

So across a chicane they go for a left turn into the station area.

This is what it will (should?) look like when (if) it is finished.

Both footways will be wider and less scary, the road will be deeper and there will be less chance of bridge bashes.

But the fun will be astounding when the lads from Notwork Rail have to lower the new bridge decks in place. It will be even more fun for train passengers!

Two Snippets.

GoAhead for Oxford gets the prize for the best publicity. They have a pedestrian map.

And the network map is also updated to cover the Bridge problem.

Certainly a few chocolate peanuts are due!

The picture below, undated but probably around WW2, shows the view westwards when Oxford had a real station with extensive goods yards.

Osney Island (the current bus terminus from the west) is the block of housing upper left beyond the railway and to the left of Botley Road. There is a lot less physical railway these days, but a lot more of everything else.

Aha, the happy days of the smoky cluttered "real" railway with real porters, loaded trolleys and real signals!

Sigh! Again!

The Wantage wanderings continue on   Monday  . 

Tomorrow and Sunday, we adjourn to the Cote d'Azur. Will it be nice?

  Next Voyage En Autobus blog : Sat 26 Oct