An old road bridge on the A34 near Oxford was replaced by a new bridge deck under the £44m ($65.5m) project by the UK’s Highways Agency.

The project saw the demolition of the 1960s’ A34 Wolvercote Viaduct and sliding in of a 250m-long, 5,000t new road.

It is designed to last for 120 years and ensure safer and more reliable journeys.

The bridge-slide involved moving the southbound bridge deck 16m from its current position alongside the A34 to alongside the northbound carriageway.

The route carries the A34 between the Midlands and the South Coast over the Oxford to Birmingham railway line, the Oxford Canal and the A40.

Work on the project started in June 2008 and is expected to be complete this summer.

The scheme also involves re-alignment of the A34 and associated slip roads.