§ Lord Walton of Detchantasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether, in view of the increasing volume of traffic carried on the A.40 trunk road between Oxford and Cheltenham, this road will be upgraded to dual carriageway throughout its length; and if so, whether any timetable for these improvements is now available.
The Minister of State, Department of Transport (The Earl of Caithness)There are four major schemes in preparation which provide for improvements to the A.40 at Oxfordshire. When, subject to completion of the statutory procedures and the availability of funds, all are in place by the late 1990's, the route will be a continuous dual carriageway from its junction with the M.40 to Burford near the Oxfordshire/Gloucestershire boundary. Traffic flows beyond Burford decrease markedly and we have no current plans to improve the A.40 westwards to Cheltenham. However, the possible future needs of the route will be kept under review.
The present position on the programmes schemes is as follows:—
A.40 Headington bypass and A.40 north of Oxford improvement: preferred routes have been announced, and formal proposals under the Highways Act 1980 are expected to be published for each scheme later this year.
A.40 Witney bypass — Sturt Farm improvement: formal draft order proposals published on 21st January.
Subsequent progress on all these schemes will depend largely on public reaction to the proposals and the time needed to complete the statutory procedures.
A.40 Witney bypass — Cassington dualling: public inquiry into draft orders held in July 1992. A further announcement will be made as soon as possible after receipt of the inspector's report.