THE £27m committed to develop plans for an Oxford to Cambridge Expressway road by Chancellor Philip Hammond could also help to deliver a solution to congestion on the A34.

Mr Hammond announced the funding in his Autumn Statement on Wednesday, alongside a pledge of £110m for the parallel East West Rail project.

As well as looking at road links between the two university cities, initial studies for the Expressway published by Highways England in August examined the A34 from the M40 near Bicester to its junction with the M4 at Chieveley.

Senior Oxfordshire councillors said it was vital that all the options were studied carefully to identify the route that worked best for the county.

Last week the National Infrastructure Commission published a report on the Oxford and Cambridge corridor, which included a map indicating a number of options for new roads.

These include widening the A34 around Oxford, new roads running south and east of the city from Abingdon to Bicester, a new cross-country route from Abingdon passing south of Oxford, to Thame, Aylesbury and Milton Keynes and two potential routes for a new Bicester to Milton Keynes road.

Widening the A34 could be controversial and costly due to the need to buy and demolish homes in Botley and South Hinksey, while any new roads south and east of the city or across South Oxfordshire could run across Green Belt land.

John Cotton, the leader of South Oxfordshire District Council, said: “The actual route of any new road needs to be chosen carefully.

“The detail is what matters, as the nature of a road can vary enormously, such as whether it is a dual carriageway, whether there would be interchanges and whether it would have lighting. That’s going to be critical.”

Oxford West and Abingdon MP Nicola Blackwood said: "It's great news that the Government has thrown its weight behind the Oxford to Cambridge Expressway, with a £27m funding pot. I have been assured that this work will not undermine existing commitments for key pinch-point junctions on the A34.

"It’s now essential that our local authorities, including the Local Enterprise Partnership, work together to contribute to the new safety review for the A34, and that improvements are brought forward in a timely manner.

"I am keeping up the pressure on the Department for Transport and local authorities to ensure residents see results."