§ Mr. Beithasked the Secretary of State for the Environment upon what grounds he authorised the improvements currently being carried out on the dual carriageway section of the A1 between Felton and Whittle, Northumberland.
§ Mr. SpeedThese works were put in hand because severe subsidence had upset the drainage and caused deterioration of the road structure.
§ Mr. Beithasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT traffic volume figures for the A1 north of Alnwick and projected traffic volume figures for the proposed bypasses at Felton, Warenford, Belford and Berwick-upon-Tweed.
§ Mr. SpeedTraffic counts in the summer of 1972 indicated an average for Alnwick bypass of 5,800 vehicles per 16-hour day. Present forecasts of traffic on the bypasses at Felton, Warenford, Belford and Berwick-upon-Tweed, 15 years after opening, are of the order of 17,000, 10,000, 9,000 and 6,000 vehicles. These figures would not justify the cost 273W of constructing dual carriageways on the bypasses at this stage.