THE first cars, bicycles, pedestrians and horse riders are using a major new link road after it was opened for the first time.

The £11.65m road connects housing developments in Didcot with the Harwell Science Park.

Classic cars and an autonomous vehicle joined politicians and other dignitaries to officially open the road yesterday.

Its opening shows that commitments to building infrastructure to support new housing is more than just ‘warm words’, according to the MP for the area Ed Vaizey.

Construction began in December 2016 and included surfacing 22,000sqm of roads and footpaths, installing 4,500 new drains, laying 2.5km of kerbs and planting 40,000 trees and plants.

Mr Vaizey added: “I am delighted this new road has opened on time and on budget.

“It will provide easy access for residents to the A34 and ease congestion in Harwell village.

“I think people will be able to see the improvements straight away.

“The county needs more infrastructure and there is real action being taken now.”

Connecting the B4493 to the A417, the new road is intended to give an easier route to work for some of the 5,000 people who work at the rapidly expanding Harwell Campus.

Nigel Tipple, the chief executive of Oxfordshire Local Eenterprise Partnership , said the Harwell road will help to drive economic growth in the area and support the growth of the campus.

He added: “Ensuring we benefit from an infrastructure that not only supports better connectivity – but also the dynamic economic growth that Oxfordshire is currently experiencing – really is key.

“This scheme will increase reliability and in-turn, provide the confidence necessary to attract business investment and high-skilled employees.

“It will improve quality of life for people living nearby, help businesses develop and is one of many transport improvements being made across the county.”

For Veronica Reynolds, the sustainable travel advisor at Milton Park, the cycling infrastructure put in place is the real draw of the project.

She said: “We get a lot of European visitors who were amazed you couldn’t cycle between Milton Park and Harwell.

“These are two rapidly growing centres for business in the area and what we have got now is a Dutch standard cycling link between them.

“It is all starting to come together for cyclists and it is so nice to see it finally come to fruition.”

Councillor Reg Waite, the chairman of White Horse District Council, said the traffic had been building up in Harwell recently and was particularly pleased that the road now gives large trucks and lorries a route that avoids passing through the village.

He added: “With all the new housing, there is a great need for projects like this to make journeys quicker and safer."