MILLIONS of pounds could be plugged into Oxfordshire’s road network as part of a new Government plan.

It is consulting on plans to create the new Major Road Network (MRN), which would designate key roads critical to reduce congestion and support economic growth and housing.

Councils who back the MRN would stand to receive funding which could unlock money to upgrade roads and provide enhancements.

None of the money for an MRN would be used for maintenance work, such as repairing potholes or resurfacing roads.

As part of the proposed plan for Oxfordshire, the A40 linking the west of the county to the M40 the A420 between Swindon and Oxford, and the A423 and A4142, as the Oxford ring road, would all be included.

But the A44, currently absent from the MRN plan, should be included, according to the county council.

Other roads included are the A41 from junction nine of the M40 via Bicester and onto Aylesbury; the A418 between the M40 and Aylesbury and the A422 between Banbury and Brackley.

The A34 and the M40 are managed by Highways England, as the proposed would an Oxford to Cambridge expressway would be.

Yvonne Constance, the county council’s cabinet member for environment, said: “For Oxfordshire, the MRN would provide the opportunity for really busy corridors such as the A40 and A420, which we have struggled to secure funding to upgrade, to get the attention they deserve.

“At this stage we are being asked for our feedback on what the Government is proposing and while we are broadly supportive we may want to push them further to include other roads like the A40.

“We would also like to see more of a focus on how the MRN could help deliver more intelligently managed roads.

Oxfordshire County Council has been working very closely with some excellent organisations in recent years on some really exciting projects which harness data and technology in ways that could really revolutionise transport in the future.

“We see the MRN as a real opportunity to drive this forward.”

The council’s cabinet is likely to sign off the proposals next Tuesday.

In January the council said it had been working with trailblazing inventors on technology that could work to clear Oxford’s congested roads so ambulances could reach people in need more quickly.

The intelligent transport system would allow drivers of the emergency vehicles to change traffic lights in their favour so they can reach emergencies more quickly than ever before.

That had been designed by Liverpool-based firm Red Ninja.

In April 2017, the council said it had been working with inventors so blue badge holders could find a parking space in Oxford more easily.