§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will give the date when the M25 road was built; what was the cost at current prices of(a) re-surfacing work, (b) concrete relaying and (c) road rebuilding (i) undertaken since that date up to the present time and (ii) which he estimates is needed to bring the road up to high quality standard; who had the initial road-building contract; what assessment he has made of the adequacy of that work bearing in mind the longevity and usage of the road; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyInformation is not kept in the form requested and could be produced only at disproportionate cost. The first section of what was to become the M25 London orbital motorway was opened in 1972 and the final section in 1986. Fifteen main civil engineering contractors were involved in its construction.
690WMajor maintenance work, defined as capital schemes costing more than £500,000 (more than £250,000 before April 1987), has cost as follows:
£ million Year Outturn cost 1985–86 0.6 1986–87 — 1987–88 2.4 1988–89 19.8 1989–90 23.8 1 Estimate. 2 Provisional. Some major renewal has been necessary earlier than expected mainly because of much higher usage of the motorway than was originally forecast. Regular surveys are carried out to assess the continuing need for maintenance and major works are programmed in the most cost effective manner. All present major maintenance needs will be met by the expenditure provision for 1989–90. These works will be designed and executed to minimise disruption to traffic.