CONSTRUCTION of the Oxford to Cambridge expressway has been cancelled after it was found to be too costly, the Transport Secretary has confirmed.

Grant Shapps has today announced the major road-building project will not go ahead after analysis revealed it is not 'cost-effective'.

The expressway was planned to go from Oxford to Cambridge via Milton Keynes.

It was projected to cost £3.5 billion and had plans for around a million new homes being built.

The major road was officially 'paused' by the Government, according to official documents released in spring last year.

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But Oxford West and Abingdon MP Layla Moran raised concerns in February that some small sections were still progressing.

Highways England had been developing potential options for a road link between Oxford and Milton Keynes.

A statement from the Department for Transport said that following close work with local partners since 2014, recent analysis shows that the benefits the road would deliver are outweighed by the costs associated with the project. 

In a statement published today on the Government's website, Mr Shapps said: "The Oxford-Cambridge Arc is home to cutting-edge research, globally-renowned science and technology clusters, and some of the most productive places in the country - we want to make sure it has transport fit for such an important region.

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"Our analysis shows the expressway cannot deliver such links in a way that provides value for money for the taxpayer, so I have taken the decision to cancel the project.

"But we remain committed to boosting transport links in the area, helping us to create jobs and build back better from Covid-19."

Mr Shapps added that the Government will continue to work on more 'targeted' and 'localised' road improvements to boost transport in the region, alongside the East West Rail, in which it has invested £760 million to deliver the next phase.