§ Mr. BlizzardTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) what is the frequency of the maintenance regime for the bascule bridge on the A 12 at Lowestoft; and what is the annual cost; [103167]
(2) how many times the bascule bridge on the A12 at Lowestoft has malfunctioned in the last 10 years; [103166]
529W(3) what was the previous use of the bascule bridge on the Al2 at Lowestoft before it was installed in 1974. [103168]
§ Mr. HillThis is an operational matter for the Highways Agency and I have asked the Chief Executive of the Highways Agency, Mr. Peter Nutt, to write to my hon. Friend.
Letter from Peter Nutt to Mr. Bob Blizzard, dated 21 December 1999:
The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Keith Hill, has asked me to write in response to your recent written Parliamentary Questions relating to the Bascule Bridge on the Al2 in Lowestoft, Suffolk.Records kept by Associated British Ports, who are the Highways Agency's maintaining agents for the Bascule Bridge, show there have been 50 malfunctions in an estimated 24,000 operations in the last 10 years.Associated British Ports carry out weekly inspections of the Bascule Bridge. The Al2 is closed overnight on four occasions annually, once per quarter, to allow routine maintenance work to be carried out. The annual budget for operating and maintenance for 1999/2000 is £223,250.00 inclusive of VAT.The Bascule Bridge was a new structure, constructed in 1974 to replace a swing bridge owned and operated by the British Transport Docks Board.If you would like further information please contact Simon Amor, the Route Manager for the Al2, telephone 01234 796173.