Didcot gets £218m to build new bridges and roads

Computer generated images show what the town could look like after the projects are completed

A government fund of £218m will be put towards building new roads and bridges to ease traffic around an Oxfordshire town, the county council has said.

In 2015 Didcot was awarded garden town status, which gives it access to extra government money as part of a 20-year plan to build 15,000 new homes

Oxfordshire County Council said the area suffered from "severe congestion" and the new infrastructure would help it deliver on its wider plans.

"This funding is great news," it said.

The total cost of the new roads and bridges is predicted to be £234m, with the shortfall being covered by contributions made by housing developers, the Local Democracy Reporting Service reported.

The plans include:

• Widening the A4130 from A34 Milton Interchange towards Didcot from single to dual carriageway

• A new bridge over the A4130, Great Western Railway Line and Milton Road into the former Didcot A power station site

• A new Didcot to Culham bridge between the A4130 and A415

• A Clifton Hampden bypass

Trees and other greenery will be planted to minimise the schemes' impact on the landscape, according to the plans.

The council said: "The new infrastructure not only provides opportunities for sustainable travel along the new routes but enables traffic demand management measures to be implemented elsewhere to prioritise non-motorised traffic, where appropriate.

"It also provides new opportunities to connect areas of employment and housing for those on foot and bike using existing public rights of way."

Council leader Ian Hudspeth added: "This win for more than £200m is great news for the sustainable growth ambitions of Oxfordshire.

"It demonstrates that government is listening and the recognition that infrastructure is required in parallel to the delivery of new homes."