Oxford-Cambridge expressway road scrapped after cost analysis

Campaigners previously called for the scheme to be scrapped over concerns about housing

Plans for an Oxford to Cambridge expressway have been scrapped as it was deemed to "not be cost-effective for the taxpayer", the government has said.

The Department for Transport (DfT) said the decision was made after "extensive analysis" of the scheme, which was paused in March 2020.

The road would have linked Oxford with Milton Keynes and Cambridge.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the government remained "committed to boosting transport links" in the area.

The expressway had been a key part of infrastructure plans since 2017, and the National Infrastructure Commission said the new road and the East West Rail project had to "be built as quickly as possible to unlock land for new homes", in the area known as the Oxford-Cambridge Arc.

However, DfT said: "Extensive analysis and local engagement reveals the expressway would not be cost-effective for the taxpayer."

It added: "The benefits the road would deliver are outweighed by the costs associated with the project."

DfT said it would "work on alternative plans" to the expressway alongside building the East West Rail scheme.

Campaigners were "profoundly concerned" about the proposed route

The rail project has been widely supported, but the road was labelled potentially "catastrophic" by campaigners who were concerned about environmental damage.

Martin Tett, leader of Buckinghamshire Council, welcomed the decision to cancel the expressway which he said would "have torn a large hole across some of the most beautiful countryside in the county with little benefit to local residents".

"What we need is investment in local roads, used by local people to ease congestion, not another mega project that will just bring environmental destruction," he added.

Analysis

BBC Oxford Political Reporter Bethan Nimmo

Ever since the expressway was "paused" in March last year, the worry for campaigners has remained.

Could it come back? Is it being planned "by stealth"? Of course, the news it has been officially cancelled will offer reassurance.

However, the government does say it will investigate the need for "more targeted road interventions" in the area.

We don't know yet what that means or where these "interventions" will take place.

That's likely to continue to cause concern that elements of the expressway could return.

Mr Shapps said the Oxford-Cambridge Arc was home to "cutting-edge research, globally-renowned science and technology clusters".

"We want to make sure it has transport fit for such an important region," he added.

Mayor Dave Hodgson, of England's Economic Heartland Strategic Transport Forum, said a "connectivity study" was under way to explore the "needs of this important corridor and to identify the solutions required to support sustainable growth for the long term".