LONDON, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) -- The route of the first ever direct roadway linking Britain's best known university cities of Oxford and Cambridge was announced Wednesday.
Roads Minister Jesse Norman said the new expressway, as well as linking the two university cities, will also unlock full potential of England's economic heartland.
Norman announced a central corridor route for the expressway as part of a multi-million-dollar plan to link together fast-growing technology hotspots.
He said, the route, chosen after a review by Highways England, will provide better links to jobs, education, leisure and health services.
Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, Robert Jenrick, said: "The Expressway will provide a link between 2 of the country's intellectual powerhouses and open up vital jobs, skills and housing opportunities to transform the region's economy."
The expressway, with options to pass either west or east of Oxford, is also expected to take up to 40 minutes off the journey linking Oxford to the MI motorway, which links to London.
Norman said: "Building the new link close to the east/west rail link will also offer more options for the commercial development of up to 1 million new homes, in line with proposals by the National Infrastructure Commission, and encourage more people to travel by train rather than by cars."
A full public consultation will now be held in which residents and businesses in and around the corridor will have their say on more detailed designs for the route.
