§ 32. Sir HARRY BRITTAINasked the Minister of Transport whether he will specify the works which are in progress on the construction of the London 1820 Western Avenue; what are the approximate dates when each of those works will be completed; and what portions of the road can be thrown open for traffic when those works are completed?
§ 34. Mr. CRAWFURDasked the Minister of Transport whether he is aware of the increasing congestion on the Uxbridge Road, via Acton, Ealing and Southall, which the Western Avenue was designed to release; what steps he is taking to assist the Middlesex County Council to complete the construction of this avenue; and by what date he expects it will be open for traffic throughout its entire length?
§ Colonel ASHLEYI will reply to these questions together. Works of road construction on a considerable scale are now in progress between "The Approach, Acton," and "Oldfield Lane, Green-ford," and are nearing completion, but the erection of five railway bridges on this section will prevent its use for through traffic before the end of 1928. Three of these bridges are under construction, and should be completed by the spring of 1928. Tenders will shortly be invited for the two remaining bridges. The section of road between Hangar Hill and Perivale is open to traffic, and further Portions of the Acton-Greenford section will be available as and when the bridges are completed. It is not possible at present to forecast the date of completion of the Western Avenue as a whole.
§ Sir H. BRITTAINSeeing that this road has been, in hand for several years, and that the sections of it are of very little use until the whole road is completed, will the right hon. Gentleman see if there is anything he can do to expedite matters in order to relieve the traffic on the Uxbridge Road?
§ Mr. CRAWFURDCan the right hon. Gentlemen assure the House that nothing is being done by the Ministry of Transport to discourage the authorities who are anxious to get on with the work?
§ Colonel ASHLEYI can assure the hon. Member that nothing is being done to discourage them. As to the question raised by my hon. Friend the Member for Acton (Sir H. Brittain), I can assure him that the schemes are being pushed on as fast as possible, and that some of the bridges will be completed by the end of the summer and some by the autumn of next year.
§ 33. Sir H. BRITTAINasked the Minister of Transport the estimated cost of the works for the completion of the London Western Avenue, for which the Middlesex County Council are waiting to receive from him authority to proceed?
§ Colonel ASHLEYThe estimate furnished by the Middlesex County Council of the cost of the section between Oldfield Lane, Greenford, and Long Lane, Hillingdon, was £207,000. I have not yet received details from the county council of the remaining section within their area, namely, that between Long Lane, Hillingdon, and the Buckinghamshire county boundary, but the estimated cost of this section is in the neighbourhood of £160,000. I would point out that in addition to the Middlesex sections there still remains to be constructed a section of about one mile in Buckinghamshire at the western extremity of the proposed road.