§ Mr. Snapeasked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish in the Official Report details of the number of repairs which have taken place on the M6 motorway between junction 6 (Gravelly Hill) and junction 8 (Bescot), including slip roads, since that portion of the M6 opened in 1972, the names of the contractors who carried out those repairs and the sums they received for doing so, the reason for those repairs and the approximate dates they were carried out; if the latest major repairs commencing in the current month on the elevated sections of the M6 will resolve the problems which have caused heavy delay and diversions to road users in the area; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mrs. ChalkerAll roads and structures need regular maintenance and the incidence of lane or carriageway closures on the section of M6 quoted has not been exceptional.
The list of contracts for specific maintenance work is as follows: 497W
Repair Contractor Cost £ Date Reason Queslett viaduct Replace/repair bearing plinths Advanced Sealants Ltd. 11,500 1980 Faulty workmanship.* Repainting steelwork Bagnall 8,219 1977 Routine maintenance. Resurfacing and joints Included with contract at Thornbridge Design inadequate for heavy traffic. Ray Hall Viaduct Replace/repair bearing plinths Percy Bilton 192,000 1978–81 Faulty workmanship.* Wrekin Cons. Co. Ltd. Conrads Advanced Sealants Ltd. Repainting steelwork Wrekin Cons. Co. Ltd. 285,000 1978–83 Routine maintenance. Advanced Sealants Ltd. T. E. Cundy & Son. Ltd. Resurfacing and joints and remedial earthworks R. M. Douglas (Cons.) Ltd. 3,000,000 1979 Design inadequate for heavy traffic. Bescot Viaduct—Junction 9 Replace/repair bearing plinths Conrads 293,000 1978–79 Faulty workmanship.* Wrekin Cons. Co. Ltd. Percy Bilton Repainting steelwork Structural Painting Ltd. 87,015 1977 Routine maintenance. Resurfacing and joints Included with contract at Ray Hall Design inadequate for heavy traffic. * On 11 May 1983 I reported to the House that the contractors who built the motorway had agreed to pay a total of £1.47 million towards the cost of repairs. The consultants who supervised the work have also paid a sum in respect of these repairs. † Just commenced.