§ Mr. WigleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the problems experienced with the Conwy road tunnel on the A55 road since its opening; what is the estimated cost of overcoming the problems; and what guarantee the contractors have given that there will be no recurrence of this problem.
§ Mr. David HuntThe tunnel is equipped with failsafe safety systems and TV surveillance cameras which monitor all aspects of its operation.
All systems are linked to the control computers and video display screens in the nearby tunnel monitoring building which is manned 24 hours a day.
On 1 November a safety system installed to warn of a possible fire hazard or fuel spillage resulting from a traffic accident in the tunnel activated.
The video screens clearly showed tunnel maintenance staff that an accident had not occurred. In order to ascertain the cause of the false alarm entry to the westbound bore was necessary The investigation which required the closure of this bore for about two hours established that a heat/gas detection sensor was defective.
Systems were tested during the commissioning period prior to the tunnel being opened to traffic, but it Is not unusual for minor problems to develop during the early period of operation once equipment is in permanent use.
The cost of replacing any defective electrical components will be met by the contractor responsible for their installation.
198WThere can, of course, be no guarantee that individual electrical components will never fail, which is why the systems installed to ensure the safety of the travelling public are failsafe.