§ Sir W. Robson Brownasked the Minister of Transport what was the final cost of the construction of the M.1 motorway; and what further costs have been incurred to date for modifications and for repairs.
§ Mr. MarplesThe actual final cost of the construction works will not be known until the settlement of accounts with the contractor for the motorwayis completed, but is likely to be of the order of £21 million.
16WThe costs incurred on modifications since the opening of the motorway to date total approximately £600,000. The major part of this total relates to the widening and paving of the grassed hard shoulders which suffered considerable damage by heavy usage while they were still immature.
Financial liability as between the contractor and the Department for repairs executed during the maintenance period following completion of the works is determined under the contract, according to the circumstances which gave rise to the necessity for the repairs. The figure for the Department's liability in this respect is not yet available.