§ Sir Clive Bossomasked the Minister of Transport if she will provide information concerning the lengths of the Ml motorway on which repairs have been in progress since the commencement of the 70 miles per hour speed limit experiment; and how many lanes have been closed.
§ Mr. SwinglerImprovements and repairs have been made over about 31 miles of carriageway. Lane closures are restricted to lengths of one mile at intervals of not less than one mile. It is generally necessary to close two of the three lanes in a carriageway, except at peak traffic periods.
Dr. Bennettasked the Minister of Transport what are the total aggregate costs of repairs to the Ml up to the end of this year, including repairs estimated for during this period; and what proportion of the cost of these repairs is devoted to the reinforced concrete section of the motorway, as opposed to the soft-top section.
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§ Mr. SwinglerImprovements to bring the Ml motorway up to current standards account for the greater part of the expenditure on the major programme of repair and improvement now under way.
The aggregate costofrepairs up to the end of this year will be about £2.075 million of which about £270,000 is appropriate to the concrete section.
The final construction cost per lane-mile, including all projected repairs and improvements, is about the same for the asphalt section as for the concrete.