§ Mr. Spearingasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has as to the action taken by the London Docklands development corporation concerning the maintenance, repair, or adaptation of the Connaught swing bridge in the royal docks and at which respective dates; from what date the bridge was non-operational; when it is expected to be so; and what estimate has been made of the costs (a) to convert the railway to a roadway and (b) to restore the bridge to operation.
§ Sir George YoungThe Connaught road swing bridge, which is understood to be no longer operational, is the property of the Port of London Authority and it is responsible for its maintenance and repair. The LDDC has commissioned two studies of the structure. One, carried out by the London borough of Newham and received by LDDC in January 1984, was concerned with the feasibility of converting the railway part of the bridge width to a roadway. A later study by engineering consultants has been examining a wide range of measures to improve transport access across the Connaught cut area and is still in progress.
The cost of converting the railway part of the bridge width to a roadway has been estimated at £.510,000. LDDC does not have an estimate of the costs of restoring he bridge to operation, but restoration is under consideration as part of wider studies of means of crossing the Connaught area.