PLANS to battle chronic congestion on the A40 between Oxford and Witney are set to get a £3m boost.

Highway bosses say the £38m proposals for a park and ride at Eynsham, which would be linked to the city by an eastbound bus lane, were gaining pace.

They are now expecting to begin detailed planning of the project, provided Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet gives approval next Monday.

A public consultation on the scheme took place last year and engineers want to begin construction by autumn 2018.

If all goes to plan, the park and ride and bus lane would be complete by autumn 2020. The scheme is funded by the Government, on condition of certain conditions being met.

County council leader Ian Hudspeth said: “I’m very excited this scheme is off the ground and we are now moving to the next stage.

“The county council is making this £3m commitment to the project and we are hoping to get the next instalments of funding from the Government after producing our more detailed plans.

“This shows our commitment to West Oxfordshire and the people who live here.

“The A40 has long been an issue that people have raised and we are doing something about it.

“Getting traffic moving means more economic growth, more employment and less congestion on the roads.”

The county council’s proposal would see a new park and ride built just east of Cuckoo Lane.

The bus lane would stretch from there to the Duke’s Cut canal bridge, with Oxfordshire County Council saying it will give buses more reliable journey times.

Project sponsor Isaac Webb said about 600 responses were made to the public consultation, with 70 per cent in favour of 'public transport improvements'.

It is seen as a first step, with longer-term plans also in development to eventually dual the A40 carriageway between Witney and Eynsham.

However, critics have said the bus lane plan is flawed because it will hit ‘pinch points’ at various bridges on the road to Oxford.

Mr Webb said he expected most bridges to have the necessary width for the standard carriageway and bus lane. But on others engineers would consider traffic lights that would stop normal traffic to give buses priority.

Cycleways would also be served by separate bridges, he said.

Mr Webb added: “We hope this scheme will make getting the bus more attractive.

“It is about trying to give people more certainty with their journey times. We are pleased to be getting this project underway. This is an important arterial road.”