§ Mr. Fordasked the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what advice is extant in his Department regarding the relative merits of steel or concrete in road and rail bridge construction;
(2) what advice is extant in his Department regarding the relative merits of steel or concrete in respect of the construction of bridges.
§ Mr. HoramNo advice has been published by the Department on the relative merits of steel or concrete in respect of road and rail bridge construction.
Technical Memorandum BE5 / 76, published by the Department, requires designers to consider the relative merits of these two materials, separately or in combination, in relation to the particular location and circumstances of a bridge. In general, the final choice is made on economic grounds. I understand that British Rail adopts a similar policy.