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Cowley Road Footway Resurfacing
Client: M Group / Oxfordshire County Council
Budget: £40,000
Department: Highways and Engineering (Infrastructure Solutions)
Completed: April 2025
Summary
ODS Highways was approached by M Group to undertake resurfacing of the footway on Cowley Road.
Cowley Road contains a large number of businesses and residential properties, and is heavily used by both pedestrians and traffic.
Requirements
To install new block paved footways on both sides of the road.
To jet and clean all existing surface water drainage before installation of new drainage units and channels where the footway floods.
To implement effective traffic and pedestrian management measures to minimise disruption during works.
To increase the overall size of the tree pits.
To install a number of new safety bollards.
Challenges
Cowley Road is heavily used by both pedestrians and traffic so management of both required careful planning.
To dig out 260mm of concrete from the footway, replace it with of 150mm of Gen 1 concrete, let if cure then add 30mm of sand and cement ready for the new paving to be laid, all whilst maintaining access to local businesses, including in the hospitality sector and shops.
A number of bikes were locked to the racks before and during the works.
Solutions
Works were phased to be completed in smaller sections to limit disruption to the footways being worked on.
Pedestrians were directed and diverted around the works area using temporary walkways and routes
The required block paving and drainage repairs took place in sections, so works were only outside each shop for a single shift. We maintained access into the various businesses by managing staff and customers entering and exiting whilst work was being carried out .
The footway was raised on each side to allow a better fall of rainwater into the drainage channel in the middle of the footway.
Results
The resurfacing project was successfully completed, significantly improving the quality and durability of the footway.
Before
During
After
