§ 17. Mr. Roy Hughesasked the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to make a statement about the Severn bridge.
§ 18. Mr. Ray Powellasked the Secretary of State for Transport when he will be able to announce the lifting of restrictions on the approach roads as well as on the Severn bridge.
§ Mr. RidleyI have nothing to add to my statement in the House on 17 November last and the subsequent exchanges.—[Vol. 48, c. 1010–17.]
§ Mr. Barry Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Transport when he proposes to make a statement on measures for a feasibility study concerning a second crossing of the River Severn; what is the latest estimate of the likely cost to repair fully and strengthen the existing Severn bridge.
§ Mrs. ChalkerI have nothing to add to my right hon. Friend's statement in the House on 17 November and the subsequent exchanges.—[Vol. 48, c. 1010–17.]
§ Mr. Barry Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Transport on how many days in 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982 and 1983 traffic was held up on, or diverted from the Severn bridge; and for what reasons.
§ Mrs. ChalkerI regret that information in the form requested is not available. In 1983, excluding the period 1–17 November when round-the-clock single lane operating was in force on weekdays, periodic land closures, other than the regular early morning closures, occurred on 219 days on account of:
Days Breakdowns or accidents 145 High Winds 31 Maintenance 80 Note: On some days closures arose from more than one cause.
Lane closures occurred at peak times—8–10 am and 4–6 pm on weekdays; 8 am-8 pm on Saturdays and Sundays from 18 June — 18 September and public holidays—on 92 days on account of:
Days Breakdowns or accidents 64 High Winds 18 Maintenance 18 The extent to which individual drivers were delayed as a result of these closures is not readily measurable. However, most closures at peak times caused some delay, but closures at other times, other than for high winds, rarely caused delays.
High winds usually require prolonged closures on both carriageways. Closures for breakdowns or accidents are usually of short duration. Closures for maintenance usually affect only one lane.
Information for earlier years could not be made available except at an unacceptable cost, and by diverting resources from current important work.