Oxford Ring Road

exits

Woodstock Road

A34 North, A44 A44 road The A44 is a major road in the United Kingdom that runs from Oxford in southern England to Aberystwyth in west Wales.-History:The original route of the A44 was Chipping Norton to Aberystwyth. No changes were made to the route of the A44 in the early years...

A40 A40 road The A40 is a major trunk road connecting London to Fishguard, Wales and officially called The London to Fishguard Trunk Road in all legal documents and Acts...

A4144 (Woodstock Road South), A40 West A40 road The A40 is a major trunk road connecting London to Fishguard, Wales and officially called The London to Fishguard Trunk Road in all legal documents and Acts...

A4165 (Banbury Road Banbury Road Banbury Road is a major arterial road in Oxford, England, running from St Giles' at the south end, north towards Banbury through the leafy suburb of North Oxford and Summertown, with its local shopping centre. Parallel and to the west is the Woodstock Road, which it meets at the junction with St... )

B4150 (Marsh Lane), Marston

A4142

A40 East A40 road The A40 is a major trunk road connecting London to Fishguard, Wales and officially called The London to Fishguard Trunk Road in all legal documents and Acts... , A420 A420 road The A420 is a road between Bristol and Oxford in England. Between Swindon and Oxford it is a primary route.-Present route:Since the opening of the M4 motorway, the road is in two sections. The first section begins on Old Market Street near the centre of Bristol, it passes through Kingswood before... , Headington Headington Headington is a suburb of Oxford, England. It is at the top of Headington Hill overlooking the city in the Thames Valley below. The life of the large residential area is centred upon London Road, the main road between London and Oxford.-History:... , (Headington Roundabout)

Kiln Lane, Beaumont Road

Horspath Driftway

Horspath Road

B480 (Garsington Road)

Sandy Lane West (Clockwise Access Only)

A4158 (Littlemore Roundabout)

A4074, Superstore

A423 A423 road The A423 road is a primary A road in England which leads from central Banbury to the A45 near Coventry. It starts in Banbury town centre as Southam Road and goes through the Southam Road Industrial Estate, then just north of Banbury it crosses over the M40, from there it passes close to several...

A4144 (Kennington Roundabout)

Kennington Road (Clockwise Access Only)

Abingdon Road Abingdon Road Abingdon Road is the main arterial road to the south of the city of Oxford, England. The road passes through the suburbs of Grandpont and New Hinksey...  (Anti-Clockwise Access Only)

A34

A34 South, Hinksey Hill Hinksey Hill Hinksey Hill is a hill and residential area south of the centre of Oxford. It is in South Hinksey civil parish, about south of the village. Hinksey Hill was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire....

South Hinksey South Hinksey South Hinksey is a village and civil parish just over south of the centre of Oxford. The parish includes the residential area of Hinksey Hill about south of the village....

Westminster Way (Clockwise Access Only), North Hinksey Lane (Anti-Clockwise Access Only)

Stanley Close (Anti-Clockwise Access Only)

A420 A420 road The A420 is a road between Bristol and Oxford in England. Between Swindon and Oxford it is a primary route.-Present route:Since the opening of the M4 motorway, the road is in two sections. The first section begins on Old Market Street near the centre of Bristol, it passes through Kingswood before... , (Botley Botley, Oxfordshire Botley is a village in the civil parish of North Hinksey, just west of the Oxford city boundary in the English county of Oxfordshire. It was in Berkshire until 1974, when it was transferred to Oxfordshire...  Interchange)

Unnumbered Road to Wytham Wytham Wytham is a village and civil parish on Seacourt Stream, a branch of the River Thames, about northwest of Oxford. It is just west of the Western By-Pass Road, part of the Oxford Ring Road ....  (Clockwise Access Only)

The Oxford ring road is a ring road

Ring road

A ring road, orbital motorway, beltway, circumferential highway, or loop highway is a road that encircles a town or city...

 around the city of Oxford

Oxford

The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. It is a dual carriageway

Dual carriageway

A dual carriageway is a class of highway with two carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation...

 for most of its length apart from a short section to the North between the Woodstock and Banbury Road

Banbury Road

Banbury Road is a major arterial road in Oxford, England, running from St Giles' at the south end, north towards Banbury through the leafy suburb of North Oxford and Summertown, with its local shopping centre. Parallel and to the west is the Woodstock Road, which it meets at the junction with St...

s.

To the West and North the road is part of the A34. To the East and North-East it is part of the A40

A40 road

The A40 is a major trunk road connecting London to Fishguard, Wales and officially called The London to Fishguard Trunk Road in all legal documents and Acts...

. To the South-East, it becomes the A4142. For a short stretch to the South it is part of the A423

A423 road

The A423 road is a primary A road in England which leads from central Banbury to the A45 near Coventry. It starts in Banbury town centre as Southam Road and goes through the Southam Road Industrial Estate, then just north of Banbury it crosses over the M40, from there it passes close to several...

, something of an anomaly since the renumbering of the rest of the A423 south of Banbury

Banbury

Banbury is a market town and civil parish on the River Cherwell in the Cherwell District of Oxfordshire. It is northwest of London, southeast of Birmingham, south of Coventry and north northwest of the county town of Oxford...

 when the M40 motorway

M40 motorway

The M40 motorway is a motorway in the British transport network that forms a major part of the connection between London and Birmingham. Part of this road forms a section of the unsigned European route E05...

 was opened.

Construction

The first section of the Oxford ring road was built from Headington

Headington

Headington is a suburb of Oxford, England. It is at the top of Headington Hill overlooking the city in the Thames Valley below. The life of the large residential area is centred upon London Road, the main road between London and Oxford.-History:...

 to Banbury Road in the mid-1930s and is now part of the A40

A40 road

The A40 is a major trunk road connecting London to Fishguard, Wales and officially called The London to Fishguard Trunk Road in all legal documents and Acts...

.

In 1938 the southern by-pass was opened from the bottom of Hinksey Hill

Hinksey Hill

Hinksey Hill is a hill and residential area south of the centre of Oxford. It is in South Hinksey civil parish, about south of the village. Hinksey Hill was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire....

 to Botley

Botley, Oxfordshire

Botley is a village in the civil parish of North Hinksey, just west of the Oxford city boundary in the English county of Oxfordshire. It was in Berkshire until 1974, when it was transferred to Oxfordshire...

. The road was known as the "road to nowhere" and little used at that time. In 1962 it was extended north by a new bridge over the River Thames

A34 Road Bridge

The A34 Road Bridge is a modern road bridge carrying the Oxford ring road at Oxford, England, across the River Thames. It crosses the Thames just upstream of Godstow Lock near Wolvercote on the reach to King's Lock...

 to Wolvercote

Wolvercote

Wolvercote is a village that is part of the City of Oxford, England, though still retaining its own identity. It is about northwest of the centre of Oxford, on the northern edge of Wolvercote Common, which is itself north of Port Meadow.-History:The village is listed in the Domesday Book as...

, and the southern and western by-pass then became part of the A34. It was dualled

Dual carriageway

A dual carriageway is a class of highway with two carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation...

 in 1973.

The eastern section between Headington and Rose Hill

Rose Hill, Oxford

Rose Hill is a city council estate. It is located on the south-eastern outskirts of Oxford, England.According to the 2001 Census, the population of Rose Hill and the adjoining village of Iffley was 4,667....

 was opened in 1959. The southern section between Hinksey Hill and Heyford Hill, including the new Isis Bridge

Isis Bridge

Isis Bridge is a modern road bridge across the River Thames just south of Oxford, England. It carries the Oxford Ring Road, part of the A423 road, across the Thames on the reach between Sandford Lock and Iffley Lock....

 over the River Thames

River Thames

The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...

, was opened in 1965. The ring road was completed when the short section between Rose Hill and Heyford Hill was opened in 1966.

External links

• Oxford ring road map from Oxford University