Following an £11m investment and 13 months of construction the new north facing slip roads at Chilton have opened providing better connection to the A34.
With the forecast increase in homes and jobs in Science Vale the new slip roads will play a vital role in ensuring that the local road infrastructure meets future demands. Harwell Campus, which is set to see a significant increase in jobs on site, will benefit from an improved access to its site from the A34.
Vale of White Horse District Council Leader, Cllr Matthew Barber commented: "Providing the new access to and from the A34 will make a huge difference to the local road network, relieving pressure at Milton Interchange and Rowstock. It is a significant investment in our infrastructure and will support the growth in our local economy. There remain major safety concerns on the A34 and I support the work being done by our local MPs Nicola Blackwood and Ed Vaizey to tackle this issue with the Department of Transport.."
Angus Horner, Director of Harwell Campus Management, said: "It is essential that the UK maximises the potential of its world leading Knowledge Economy and hugely innovative people. UK hotspots like Harwell Campus must be properly connected into local, regional and national routes, so that people with great ideas can move between them at 21st Century speeds.
“This new two way access onto the A34 will have a substantial positive impact at Harwell, for thousands of people who work here. It will facilitate even more collaboration with our neighbours at University of Oxford, plus tens of thousands of other regular research visitors and hundreds of companies who use the A34 to access Harwell’s ideas and £2 billion of international labs."