ROAD managers have tabled a plan to turn St Helen’s Wharf Bridge in Abingdon into a two-way road, it has emerged.

Oxfordshire County Council is considering the change to the one-way route, but the idea this week received a mixed reaction from people in the town centre.

The council, seeking town centre traffic restrictions in a bid to deal with air quality and noise, has considered four scenarios.

It has thought about a full closure of the bridge, a peak-hour closure, a partial closure and a two-way road across the bridge.

A council spokesman confirmed that opening the road to traffic in both directions was the chosen option that was being carried forward.

At present, traffic travels westbound from Caldecott Road over the bridge into St Helen’s Wharf, up West St Helen Street and into the High Street.

A two-way system would mean the bridge, just off East St Helen Street, would need to be widened.

Frances Scaddan, 65, of nearby Fellows Close, said opening up the bridge to two-way traffic would be “catastrophic”.

She said: “There is no way this should happen. The traffic at peak times is abysmal.

“It is already two-way for cyclists and people on mobility scooters — opening it two-way for motorists would just be an accident waiting to happen.”

Joan Glascodine, 86, of St Helen's Mill, said: “I think it would increase the traffic. It’s a tight area of the town and pedestrians are used to the traffic coming one way.

“Motorists would welcome it as they would be able to travel to town directly.”

The idea of shutting the bridge was mooted last year in a bid to reduce rising pollution levels in Abingdon town centre.

The county council decided to look at the options for the bridge after discovering that levels of nitrogen dioxide were high in parts of the town centre.

However, county council planners decided that closing the road for any length of time would be too expensive. They also said it would increase traffic in Drayton Road.

They estimate a two-way system would see 132 vehicles crossing the bridge in the morning peak hour, 267 in the evening rush hour.

Mike Badcock, the south Abingdon county councillor, said: “Any opportunity to reduce traffic congestion in Abingdon must be taken very seriously.

“At present, the fact that the bridge will not be considered further for closure will be well received by residents in south Abingdon.”