§ Mr. Greville Jannerasked the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects the permanent repairs to the cracks recently discovered on the M1 near junction 27 to start; how long he expects they will take to complete; how much he estimates they will cost; and what steps he will be taking to minimise the disruption to traffic while they are taking place.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkePermanent repairs cannot start until we are sure that mining subsidence has ceased. The temporary repairs will be satisfactory for several years. Some resurfacing work on this length of the M1, which was planned before these cracks appeared, will be carried out later this year.
It is not possible to say precisely when or how long a permanent repair will take to complete. It is likely that the opportunity to carry out repairs will be taken when major maintenance work becomes necessary.
The cost will depend on whether or not further subsidence takes place.
The normal traffic control system for major maintenance work on motorways will be in operation.