§ Mr. Viantasked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation the average time taken for the preparation of details and contract documents for a major road scheme; and how long is the average delay between authorisation and commencement of work.
§ Mr. WatkinsonWhile the period naturally varies according to the size and complexity of the scheme and the availability of engineering staff, the preparation of details and contract documents for a major road scheme takes, on average, between twelve and eighteen months. For a representative selection of large trunk road schemes started in the past two years the average time between authorisation and commencement of work has been eleven months.