King Alfred Way
King Alfred Way is the long-planned Wantage Eastern Link Road, a new road that runs from the A417 Reading Road east of Wantage, near the West Lockinge turning, round to the A338 north of the town at the Mably Way roundabout. It opened to traffic on 5 December 2024 and gives Wantage what the county council described as an alternative “bypass” route between the east of the town and Grove.
Why it was built
The road was a condition of the big housing allocations at Crab Hill (Kingsgrove) and Grove, and was identified in the Vale Local Plan 2031 as one of the key road schemes needed to cope with growth. Before it opened, traffic between the A417 and A338 had to pass through Wantage’s narrow town-centre streets. The county council expects the route to ease congestion, noise and air pollution in the centre, and says it should also reduce through traffic in Charlton, Ardington and West Lockinge.
How it was delivered
The road was built in three sections. St Modwen, the master developer at Kingsgrove, built and paid for the eastern and western arms. The county council, through contractor Galliford Try, built the middle section across open land, starting in autumn 2023 after earthworks finished two weeks ahead of schedule. The county’s original target was to open the whole route in summer 2024. In the end it opened in December 2024, and the local MP noted at the opening that it came “following some delays”.
By the numbers
- £10m: the county council’s cost for the middle section
- 3 sections: two built by the developer and one by the county
- 40mph: the speed limit along the whole route
- 3 metres: width of the shared walking and cycling path
Paying for it
The county’s section was paid for from developer (Section 106) contributions and government funding. The 2017 legal agreement for the Grove Airfield development alone secured more than £40m towards schools and the eastern link road.
What it means for local people
Drivers heading between Grove, the A338 and the A417 towards Harwell and Didcot can avoid the town centre. The old main entrance to Kingsgrove is now limited to buses, bikes, pedestrians and taxis. Bus operators have said they will decide which services use the route. The new road is also part of the reason the county is now looking at changes to Wantage Market Place.
How to follow it
The road is complete. Faults can be reported through the county council’s FixMyStreet service.