Oxford's £14m Oxpens River Bridge breaks ground after judicial review delay
Construction has started on Oxford's £14m Oxpens River Bridge, a foot and cycle crossing of the Thames, after a delayed legal fight.
Construction has begun on the controversial £14m Oxpens River Bridge in Oxford, a footbridge and cycle crossing of the River Thames between Oxpens Meadow and Grandpont Nature Park, following a judicial review dismissed in March 2025, with work expected to be completed in 2027.
Oxford City Council sets the exact ground-breaking date, stating that construction work officially began on 17 September 2026 on the Oxpens River Bridge, a fully accessible crossing of the River Thames for walkers and cyclists between Grandpont and Oxpens, built by Jackson Civil Engineering as part of the Oxford West End regeneration programme, with completion expected in 2027.
The two accounts describe the same span with minor placename variation — Oxpens Meadow versus Oxpens, Grandpont Nature Park versus Grandpont — but agree on a £14m non-motorised Thames crossing finished in 2027.
The route to construction was contested. The BBC records that the scheme was controversial and stalled by a legal challenge dismissed in March 2025, removing the last blocker before contractors could mobilise this autumn.
Jackson Civil Engineering is building the bridge as part of the Oxford West End regeneration programme, a council-led effort to reshape the western edge of the city centre. The stated output is a fully accessible deck for walkers and cyclists linking Grandpont and Oxpens across the river.
If the 2027 timeline holds, the £14m structure will be open, turning a contested planning saga into a routine crossing between Grandpont and Oxpens Meadow. Machinery is on site, the judicial review is spent, and the only open question is whether the schedule both outlets cite survives contact with the river.