§ Mr. BennettTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he expects the M60 motorway from Denton to Middleton to open; and what assessment he has made of the prospects for opening sections of the motorway at an earlier date. [94831]
§ Mr. Hill[holding answer 21 October 1999]As this is an operational matter for the Highways Agency, I have asked the Chief Executive of the Highways Agency, Lawrie Haynes, to reply.
Letter from Peter Nutt to Mr. Andrew Bennett, dated 25 October 1999:
The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Keith Hill, has asked Lawrie Haynes, the Chief Executive of the Highways Agency, to reply to your recent Parliamentary question about the timing for the opening of the M60 between Denton and Middleton. I am replying in Lawrie's absence from the office.The date for opening the whole of the Denton to Middleton section of the Manchester Outer Ring Road is Summer 2000. However, the Highways Agency is considering the possibility of opening some individual sections earlier. Whether it would be practical to do so is dependent upon the contractors' programmes for completion of the outstanding works. This will become clearer towards the end of the year. Traffic impact on the local road network is also a major consideration and the Agency is in discussion with the relevant local authorities about this.I hope this is helpful.