§ 28. Mr. Strawasked the Minister of Transport when he now expects to publish his White Paper on future road plans.
§ Mr. FowlerNext month. It will set out the results of my review of the trunk road programme. As part of this review I have taken decisions on the Calder Valley route, which I would like to take this early opportunity of announcing. I intend to press ahead urgently with a motorway between Burnley and White-birk and with its connection to the national motorway system by the new192W A56-M66 route. I intend to publish a draft compulsory purchase order for the Whitebirk to Hyndburn section next month and. subject to statutory procedures, construction could start in 1981. All orders have been made for the Hyndburn to Burnley section and construction should start before the end of this year. The Haslingden bypass is under construction and should be finished about the end of 1981. Subject to completion of the statutory procedures work on the northern section of the Accrington easterly bypass could start in 1981 and on the southern section in 1982. I have decided that the proposed new route between Whitebirk and the M6 is no longer justified, and instead work will be put in hand immediately to prepare improvements to the existing trunk road north of Blackburn to the M6.