We have received the following from Robert Courts, MP for the Witney constituency:
As you will be aware, since being elected to Parliament, I have campaigned tirelessly to ensure that we finally address the issue of congestion on the A40.
Back in 2019, I was delighted to deliver £102m of central government funding for A40 upgrades - the largest investment in the A40 in a generation. This followed a determined campaign which involved presenting a petition to Parliament signed by thousands of local residents and leading a House of Commons debate on A40 congestion.
I wanted to write to you further to announce the good news that, earlier this month, the Government gave its final approval to an additional multi-million pound central government funding package for A40 upgrades.
The scheme will provide improved bus journey times, better public transport connectivity, and improved active travel infrastructure.
It comprises of:
an 850 space Park and Ride at Eynsham with dedicated access junction;
enhanced bus services along the A40 corridor;
a new eastbound bus lane (Eynsham to Wolvercote) and short sections of a westbound bus lane; and
enhanced walking and cycling infrastructure in the form of a new 3-metre wide A40 cycle lane between Witney and Oxford.
This £35m investment confirmed this month comes in addition to – and ties in with - the aforementioned £102m of Government funding already secured, which funds an extension of the A40 dual carriageway from Witney to Eynsham, an extension of the A40 westbound bus lane, and further capacity and connectivity improvements along the route.
This is hugely positive news for West Oxfordshire residents and will make a massive difference to transport in our area, providing the biggest upgrade to local road infrastructure in many decades. It will help to end the years of misery for local motorists and enable our businesses to go to the next level.
I hope this update comes as welcome news and may I thank you again for expressing your interest in our campaign to tackle congestion on the A40. There’s more work to do, particularly on securing much-needed upgrades to the Cotswold Line to deliver better, more frequent rail services between West Oxfordshire, Oxford and beyond. But we are making progress on all fronts and please be assured that I will continue to campaign tirelessly to develop an integrated transport network across West Oxfordshire.