a question about British English from an American translator

[Andrea Gregovich]

Hello Colleagues!

I'm translating a passage in which the Russian narrator is describing his
trip to England.  I'm wondering about the best way to describe what's going
on in this passage:

Автобус тронулся, долго пробирался по узким улицам Оксфорда, а когда выехал
на трассу, шел проливной дождь.

The image is very clear to me, the long drive along the narrow city streets
and then finally the exit from the city onto the трассу on the way back to
London.  But it's been years since I've been on a bus from Oxford to
London, and I'm drawing a blank on what this road would be called in
British English and exactly what size of road it is on the way from Oxford
to London.  In American English we would probably say, "when we finally got
out on the highway" or "when we finally got on the freeway," depending on
the size of the трасса in question.

Thanks in advance for your input!
Andrea Gregovich

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