How bad are the roadworks on the A34 - Hants/Berks/Oxon?

How bad are the roadworks on the A34 - Hants/Berks/Oxon?

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Highway Star

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3,579 posts

233 months

Wednesday 7th February 2007
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Any help on this from someone who does this route every day at the moment would be gratefully received

I have a final round job interview which I'm travelling back from the States for in two weeks time - it's in Oxford and I'll be driving up from my parents place near Bournemouth where I'll be staying.

I need to be in Oxford for 10.15 on a Friday morning and would normally leave myself 2 hours to get there from my parents, along the A31, M27, M3, A34 (Before moving Stateside we lived between Oxford and Reading and my 'record' to my parents place was 1hr 20). However, I've noticed there are two sets of roadworks on the A34 at the moment (both contraflows both directions) around Whitchurch in Hampshire and Chilton in Berks/Oxon. I know how bad the A34 can be given the HGV traffic and general numpties that congregate on this road, so my question is - how bad is it? I'm thinking of allowing an extra hour which would also get me passed Southampton and Winchester by just before 8. I believe that week is 1/2 term week and with it being a Friday I hope the traffic will be a *little* lighter than usual.

Going another route isn't really an option, the only viable one I can think of is to cut up to Salisbury, Tidworth, Hungerford and join the A34 at Newbury, but I'll still have one set of roadworks to deal with and that road is slllloooooowwwww.

Anyway I have earmarked the driving back for a hoon down the A338 from Wantage to M3 and then Hungerford which should give my mum's Clio 182 the workout it doesn't usually get evil