MILLIONS of pounds have been given by the government to make 'vital improvements' to the A40.

The Department of Transport announced today that it will give £35 million to the A40 infrastructure to ease congestion, and boost bus services.

The scheme will see an 850-space park and ride facility, including cycle parking and electric car charge points be built to the north-west of Eynsham.

The government has said that the improvements to the road will allow for the construction of over 4,800 homes in the area and boost the local economy.

Earlier this year, West Oxfordshire District Council was successfully given a £250,000 grant from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, to help fund a new housing development.

Salt Cross Garden Village, a key part of West Oxfordshire's 2031 local plan, will see 2,200 new homes and a new science business park built north of the A40, near Eynsham.

There also plans in the making to create the 'Oxford North' development, which would see 480 new homes, and 4,500 jobs for the city on the fields centred around the A40, A34, and A44 north of the Wolvercote Roundabout.

The multi-million transport grant is part of the A40 Transport Package, which aims to improve transport links, shift to more sustainable forms of travel and 'build back greener' following the pandemic.

Two new bus lanes will be created along the carriageway, which will take bus-users eastbound from the new park and ride to just before the Dukes Cut, and westbound on the approach to Cassington - the government said this will significantly improve bus journey times.

It aims to cut congestion by encouraging people to stop using their cars for the whole journey, and use bus services instead.

The proposed work would also see a three-metre wide path for cyclist and pedestrians along the route of the A40 from Witney to Oxford, replacing the existing path.

The schemes total cost comes to a whopping £49.3 million, with the reaming funding coming from the Oxfordshire Growth Deal, Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership as well as private developer contributions.

The works will start in 2022 and are expected to be completed by mid-2024.

Transport Minister Baroness Vere said: "Local residents have suffered with traffic and congestion along the A40 for too long, which is why I'm thrilled to announce this multi-million-pound investment to improve the route, increase capacity and provide a significant boost to public transport.

"Providing fast, more frequent and more reliable bus journeys is a key commitment in our National Bus Strategy - and one I take very seriously.

"I'm therefore delighted to see this funding going towards giving local residents the bus services they deserve."