§ Mr. Eldon Griffithsasked the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has for the further improvement of those stretches of the A45 between Bury St. 149W Edmunds and Rougham and between Hambly New Street and Stowmarket which previously had been dualled though to unacceptable standards by the previous councils; when he expects this work to be commenced and completed and at what cost; and if he will publish a schedule of the sections of this highway east of Bury St. Edmunds which at present are being planned to be improved giving his estimate of when each contract is expected to be completed.
§ Mr. HoramSchemes for the improvement of the A45 between Bury St. Edmunds and Rougham and between Haughley New Street and Stowmarket are being reviewed in accordance with the principles and priorities laid down in the Transport Policy White Paper. If it is decided to proceed with them, they are unlikely to be built before 1985. It is too early to give a realistic estimate of costs.
Apart from these schemes, the A45 east of Bury St. Edmunds is being improved between Rougham and Woolpit and work is expected to be completed early in 1979. A public inquiry was held last summer into draft proposals for a southern bypass of Ipswich and, east of Ipswich, the public are at present being consulted on an improvement between Levington Heath and the A1093.
Subject to the satisfactory completion of the statutory procedures and to the availability of funds at the time, construction of the Ipswich southern bypass could start in the early 1980s, with completion expected to be two years later, and the Levington Heath-A1093 improvement could be completed in 1982.