'Overdue' improvement plans for a key junction on the A34 cannot be delayed any further, an MP has told the government.

Oxfordshire MP Layla Moran is lobbying to unlock the final piece of funding for the Lodge Hill Junction.

Oxfordshire County Council, the highways authority, submitted plans for an improvement scheme at the A34 junction between Abingdon and Oxford, including south-facing slips from the A4183 Oxford Road to the A34, in October 2021.

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The Lib Dem MP for Oxford West and Abingdon has campaigned since her election in 2017 for it to be completed.

She spoke about it in her first speech in parliament and has raised it in several debates.

The MP has also been in contact with ministers and Highways England.

Oxford Mail: Layla Moran Layla Moran (Image: Layla Moran)

During a public consultation, supporters said the scheme is ‘really needed’ as it will support the additional housing in the town.

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One resident said they believed it will ‘improve access to and from the A34 without going through Abingdon town’ and added that the junction is ‘well overdue’.

Some concerns were raised about the impact the plans will have on traffic on Sugworth Lane and Bagley Wood Road.

Other suggested that more local authorities should be consulted before the scheme goes ahead such as Kennington Parish Council and Wootton Parish Council.

The plans include a new separated dumbbell junction, an off-slip to allow northbound traffic to exit the A34 and an on-slip to allow southbound traffic to enter the A34.

Ms Moran is now pushing for the government to release the final piece of funding, currently held with Homes England.

In a Westminster Hall debate she secured today she said the junction was important for alleviating traffic, boosting active travel, and facilitating housing developments in and around the town.

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Speaking afterwards she said: “I was grateful for the opportunity to raise my concerns with the minister in parliament today.

“For too long, local people have endured dither and delay from the Conservative government over this incredibly important scheme.

"The project is shovel-ready, and all we are waiting for is the government to release the final piece of funding. 

“I urged the minister to end these years of broken promises and deliver the infrastructure that people and businesses in Abingdon deserve.

"I won’t stop until the first shovel is in the ground.”

Concerns have previously been expressed about the environmental impact of the scheme by opponents.

One resident previously said: "More noise and emissions will result in more traffic diverting onto unsuitable roads particularly in times of disruption/congestion on the A34.”