Access to Witney slip roads open
New slip roads at the A40/B4022 Shores Green junction opened to traffic this morning (17 July), improving access to Witney from and to the A40 and helping to reduce traffic through the town centre.
The Oxfordshire County Council project was carried out by M Group and forms part of wider work to improve transport connections in the area, supporting more reliable journeys for residents, businesses and those travelling through.
A site visit to mark the occasion, was attended by MP for Witney, Charlie Maynard, and Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways Construction and Repair, Cllr Liz Leffman, as well as representatives from local councils, senior county council officers and the project delivery team.
Speaking on site, Councillor Liz Leffman, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways Construction and Repair, said: “This project has been a long time coming, and residents have advocated for it for years. We are delighted to have been able to deliver this scheme on time and in budget and seeing it in use this morning has been a joy.
“This is an important project, and the improvements here will provide Witney with better connections to and from the A40, taking traffic out of the town centre, supporting active travel, and benefitting communities, businesses and visitors for many years to come.”
Charlie Maynard, MP for Witney said: “I'm delighted that the Shores Green junction is now open. After decades of waiting, the collaboration between a number of councils resulted in getting the necessary funding and driving the project to completion. Well done to everyone involved.
Councillor Ruth Smith, Leader of Witney Town Council said: "This junction means a great deal to Witney residents. I first visited Witney on a 100 bus in the late 90s and was baffled by the junction. It's an anomaly that's needed fixing for decades.
“Thank you to all the councillors and officers who kept the call for it and the project alive and brought us to this point. I look forward to data on the impact it makes on traffic flow and on air quality. I hope we all find it less frustrating to visit the other side of town and to venture West more readily."
Mark Smith, senior project manager at M Group, who deliver the scheme on behalf of the county council added: “M Group is proud to have successfully delivered the Access to Witney scheme. This project demonstrates the value of a strong collaborative relationship between M Group and Oxfordshire County Council.
"By working together the team successfully achieved the project objectives, while maintaining a focus on safety, quality and minimising disruption to the travelling public. We are proud to have played our part in delivering lasting improvements for the local community.”
The £26.8-million scheme provides a new eastbound off-slip and westbound on-slip, enabling more direct access between Witney and the A40. The project has also delivered improvements for pathways, new crossings and upgraded drainage and signs.
The Access to Witney project was funded by Homes England via the Housing and Growth Deal fund, Section 106 developer contributions and traffic congestion improvement funds. Enabling works for the project began in February 2025, with construction starting later that spring.
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