§ Mr. Macfarlaneasked the Secretary of State for Transport how many additional contracts have been issued to the contractor and consultants responsible for the Wisley to Reigate section of the M25; and if he will list those projects.
§ Mrs. ChalkerThree contracts were let for the construction of the sections of the M25 between Wisley and Reigate:
- (i) Leatherhead interchange—
- Awarded to Balfour Beatty Ltd. on 14 June 1982 at £14.1 million.
- (ii)Wisley-Leatherhead section—
- Awarded to Fairclough Civil Engineering Ltd. on 5 October 1982 at £15.4 million.
Section of M25 Contractor Original Contract Completion Date Revised Contract Completion Date A3 to Chatley Heath Balfour Beatty Ltd. 30 August 1983 26 June 1984 Chatley Heath to Leatherhead Fairclough Civil Engineering Ltd. 5 November 1984 9 September 1985 Leatherhead interchange Balfour Beatty Ltd. 15 April 1985 — Leatherhead to Reigate Birse/Farr (formerly—Bovis/Birse) Joint Venture 23 December 1984 9 September 1985 All the contracts were supervised by W. S. Atkins & Partners, Consulting Engineers.
§ Mr. Macfarlaneasked the Secretary of State for Transport what is the precise nature of the problem which delayed the opening of the Wisely to Reigate section of the M25; and what is his Department's proposal for overcoming future maintenance problems on this section.
394W(iii) Leatherhead-Reigate section—
- Awarded to Bovis Civil Engineering Ltd * in consortium with Peter Birse Ltd. on 21 April 1983 at £14.6 million.
* On 9 November 1984 Bovis Civil Engineering Ltd. was purchased by the Fan Group Ltd. and the name changed to A. E. Farr Ltd.
§ Mr. Macfarlaneasked the Secretary of State for Transport what is the eventual length of the M25 and how many miles of the M25 are (a) floodlit and (b) have a crash barrier.
§ Mrs. ChalkerThe eventual length of the actual M25 will be 117 miles excluding the Dartford tunnel and the approach roads. Approximately 40 miles are lit at present and safety fences are provided throughout the entire length of the open sections except for 1.8km between junctions 11 and 12 which has a very wide central reserve.
§ Mr. Macfarlaneasked the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what studies were undertaken before his Department selected a three-lane carriageway on the M25, and how many motorways in England are four-lane;
(2) if he is satisfied that a three-lane carriageway is adequate for all sections of the M25; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mrs. ChalkerComprehensive studies to predict traffic flows were carried out in the design stages of the M25. The choice of carriageway width was based on these predictions. The M25 is generally dual three-lane, but dual four-lanes have been provided between junctions 13 (Staines interchange) and 15 (M4). The adjoining sections from junction 11 (Chertsey interchange) and to junction 16 (M40) have been built with dual three-lanes, but in a way which will facilitate the future provision of fourth lanes should that prove necessary.
There are six other sections of four-lane motorway in England, mostly short lengths between admacent junctions.
§ Mr. Macfarlaneasked the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will list the contractors and consultants who built the Wisley to Reigate section of the M25;
(2) what was the original date for the completion of the Wisley to Reigate section of the M25 as notified to his Department by the contractors and consultants.
§ Mrs. ChalkerThe M25 between Wisley and Reigate was constructed under the following main contracts:—
§ Mrs. ChalkerOn the advice of Surrey county council it was decided that all the sections of the M25 between Wisley and Reigate should be opened at the same time. [t was not possible to open the last section between Leatherhead and Reigate on the contract completion date of 9 September 1985 because of the need to repair joints formed in the concrete slabs and hairline cracks appearing in the slabs. Some repairs remain to be completed in the normal maintenance period of 12 months following 395W completion. These repairs, together with any other maintenance needed, will be so arranged as to minimise delays to traffic.
§ Mr. Macfarlaneasked the Secretary of State for Transport what studies his Department has made on traffic volume between Reigate and the Heathrow exit on the M25; and if he will publish those studies.
§ Mrs. ChalkerThe latest estimated forecasts of traffic flows on the Reigate to Heathrow sections per 16-hour day in 1987, the expected first full year of operation of the complete M25, are in the following ranges:
Section of M25 From To Vehicles per day (000s) A217 A243 44 to 53 A243 A3 50 to 58 A3 A320 61 to 80 A320 M3 72 to 85 M3 A30 67 to 80 A30 Airport spur 78 to 85 Airport spur M4 78 to 85