LONG-awaited plans for a new ‘diamond junction’ on the A34 have been thrown into doubt again after a funding bid was snubbed.

The £18m Lodge Hill scheme would add extra south-facing slips to the dual carriageway, allowing vehicles to join from north Abingdon and cutting traffic through the town.

It was hoped the Government could help fund the project, with a request for cash part of a £382m bid made to the ‘local growth fund’ by Oxfordshire officials.

But it was announced yesterday that just £24.16m overall would be awarded to the county – with no money set aside for the Lodge Hill scheme.

Hopes had been pinned on a new interchange to soften the impact of a proposed 900-home housing estate north of Abingdon, but there were fears yesterday existing traffic problems would get worse.

County councillor Alison Rooke said: “It’s very worrying – Abingdon is desperate for this interchange.

“We have been pushing for it for donkeys’ years but have been let down by central government again.”

Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (OxLEP), the body that organises major funding bids, yesterday said it hoped to fund the project through ‘other sources’.

But the news confirmed fears first raised in December that more than 30 schemes to upgrade and build roads, revamp railway stations and boost support for businesses could now lose out.

Some officials claimed the amount of cash awarded was because the county did not have an elected mayor, after ministers said those areas that did would get the ‘main share of funding’.

OxLEP chief executive Nigel Tipple yesterday insisted there would be other opportunities to win cash for vital projects.

He said: “Our bid has clearly set out a strategy which identifies the scale of investment we need to secure our growth potential.

“The figure we have been awarded may be very different to our total bid, but to me it is a positive outcome and it has put down a marker to the Government.

“There are some projects that we hope can be funded through other sources.”

Mr Tipple said discussions were ongoing about how the £24.16m would be spent, but said up to £5m would likely go to further education and training schemes, £10m to infrastructure and development projects and £10m to boost research and development of technology.

It includes cash for the revamps of Oxford Rail Station and Osney Mead Industrial estate.