§ 53. Mr. Swinglerasked the Minister of Transport what was his original estimate for the construction of the M.6 motorway; what is his present estimate; and what are the main reasons for the increase.
§ Mr. MarplesIn 1960, the estimated cost of the 78-mile section of the M.6 between Dunston and the Preston Bypass was £50.24 million, including land; this was before tenders for all the sections had been obtained. The latest estimate is about £57 million.
71WThe main reasons for the increase are that tenders exceeded estimates by £2.3 million; there will be two additional link roads costing about £0.7 million; some changes have been made in carriageway sub-base materials, at an extra cost of £0.9 million; land costs have risen by £0.5 million; and a landslip in Staffordshire has necessitated remedial works estimated to cost about £0.6 million. The rest of the increase covers miscellaneous items, including the emergency telephone system.
§ 54. Mr. Swinglerasked the Minister of Transport what difficulties have been encountered in the construction of the M.6 motorway; and to what extent the original plans have had to be changed.
§ Mr. MarplesWith one exception the difficulties encountered in constructing the M.6 between Dunston and Preston were either foreseen or are contingencies of a kind for which provision is normally made in large schemes. The exception is at Waltons Wood in Staffordshire, where difficulties arising from unstable ground have been greater than expected. Remedial works are in hand and will be completed in time to open this length of motorway together with the connected length in South Cheshire.