Construction has continued to progress, with the paving of the site almost completed. Lighting columns and heads are now being installed and are visible from the A40. The construction phase is expected to be completed by next year.
In parallel, a feasibility study shows that a railway line connecting Carterton, Witney, and Eynsham to Oxford would be viable: read the press release.
DATELINE 14/12/2022: Excavation work begins. County Councillors joined construction and public transport partners to celebrate to celebrate the breaking of ground at Eynsham park and ride on Monday. Construction is due to start in early January, finishing in early 2024; and the site will open in late 2025 according to the press release.
DATELINE 02/12/2022: A County Council statement on its HIF2/A40 improvements scheme (dualling Witney–Eynsham, bus lane Eynsham–Wolvercote, Duke’s Cut bridge works) confirms that ‘the Eynsham park and ride project, which is fully funded, will proceed as planned’.
County Councillor Dan Levy has called for work on the park and ride scheme to be included in the review, to ensure the council’s active travel and climate change objectives are factored in.
DATELINE 30/11/2022: The County Council’s A40 Smart Corridor Scheme is to be paused in the light of growing costs. The OCC Cabinet meeting on Tuesday voted to pause the A40 HIF2 scheme, as it is currently exceeding its budget - £106,756,836 provided by Homes England.
The County Council remains committed to the scheme and an update will be brought to Cabinet early in 2023.
The impact on the new £51m, 850-space park and ride scheme is currently unclear.
DATELINE 18/01/2022: OCC’s planning application for the A40 Smart Corridor in now live. Residents and stakeholders can view and respond to the planning application on the Planning Register, under reference R3.0151/21.
‘The planning application submission is a key milestone in the delivery of the wider A40 improvements programme’, says Oxfordshire County Council. ‘The planning application covers three schemes:
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‘A40 dual carriageway extension A scheme to upgrade the A40 between east of Witney to the Eynsham park and ride site into a dual carriageway.
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‘A40 integrated bus lanes A four-mile eastbound and westbound bus priority corridor along the A40, with improved routes and crossing facilities for pedestrians and cyclists.
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‘A40 Duke’s Cut A new eastbound bus lane and improved cycling and pedestrian facilities linking together the A40 integrated bus lanes with north Oxford.’
For Eynsham residents, key features include ‘Construction of a new signalised junction to the Eynsham Park and Ride site; New pedestrian/ cyclist underpass at Cuckoo Lane; Alterations to existing junctions and property accesses along the A40; Controlled crossings, external lighting, noise barriers, sustainable drainage systems, landscaping, habitat creation including ecology ponds and associated hibernacula’... The list is goes on!