HC Deb 01 August 1963 vol 682 cc153-4W
Sir W. Bromley-Davenport

asked the Minister of Transport when the Bristol-Birmingham motorway, M.5, will be finished; and when the preliminaries will be completed to enable construction to start on the remaining mileage of the northern end thereof.

Mr. Marples

It is too early to say when the whole length of the M.5 motorway will be finshed; this will depend on completion of the remaining statutory processes and on the availability of funds. The motorway is being prepared and built in sections. That from Twyning to Lydiate Ash is already open and work is about to start on a six-mile extension northwards from Lydiate Ash to Quinton. This should be completed by the winter of 1965.

My proposals for the sections of the 70-mile route southwards from Twyning have either already been published or will be published before the end of the year.

I have recently made a scheme fixing the ten-mile route of the most northerly section, from Quinton to the M.6 junction at Great Barr, and I hope later this year to make proposals for consequential alterations to existing highways on this section.