§ 31. Mr. Swinglerasked the Minister of Transport on what date tenders were received for work on the central area bypass section of the A.34 in Newcastle-under-Lyme; and when construction of the dual carriageway will commence.
§ Vice-Admiral Hughes HallettTenders were received at the end of January, 1964. This scheme has shown a considerable increase in cost and I am at present unable to say when the works will start.
§ Mr. SwinglerIs the hon. and gallant Gentleman aware of the serious position and the serious delay? Is he aware that in spite of the improvement which has taken place since the opening of the M.6, as only about half of the work has been done on the dual carriageway round Newcastle-under-Lyme, 414 jams are inevitable so long as work remains in progress? Can he speed up this decision urgently, as the situation is bound to get worse the longer the delay goes on?
§ Vice-Admiral Hughes HallettWe are certainly aware of the traffic situation, but we must keep a sense of proportion. The cost of the central section of the road which we are now examining has risen to more than £1 million a mile. We must carefully consider whether this would be money well spent at this time. When we consider priorities, we simply cannot exclude the question of costs.