In May 1987, the Department of Transport held an exhibition in Eynsham of plans to turn the A40 from the Witney bypass to just east of Cassington railway bridge into a dual carriageway.

Two routes were shown, each just under five miles (8km) long, with the cost estimated at £8m.

The scheme was abandoned in the mid-1990s, and land which had been acquired by compulsory purchase order for it has since been sold.

I believe that it was partly due to Oxfordshire County Council's lack of interest at that time that the scheme was abandoned.

Before the General Election of 1997, I understand that a national civil engineering contractor had suggested to the then local MP a PFI scheme to dual the A40 between Witney and Oxford.

With the change from Conservative to a Labour Government, the scheme floundered.

You quote David Robertson, the county council's cabinet member for transport, as saying that "plans to dual the A40 were abandoned by the last administration when the scheme for a bus lane was scrapped" (Oxford Mail, June 4).

The county council bus lane proposal did not include dualling. The council scrapped the bus lane project when West Oxfordshire District Council withdrew its support after the estimated costs escalated from the original figure of £5m to nearly £10m.

Dualling of the Witney to Oxford section of the A40 was under discussion by the Government in the early 1970s.

After more than 30 years, we are now told that it could be at least another 10-15 years before anything could happen.

Forty-five to 50 years to build another 12 kilometre length of road! Politicians have a lot to answer for! John Blakeman, Newland Close, Eynsham, Witney