§ Mr. LathamTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will list the bypasses of trunk roads constructed by his Department over the last three years which have(a) cattle creeps, (b) pedestrian under-passes and (c) pedestrian bridges provided as part of the construction work; and what was the cost of the provision in each case.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyI will write to my hon. Friend.
§ Mr. LathamTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what would be the approximate cost of constructing underpasses under the new A52 by-pass at Bottesford, Leicestershire, at Easthorpe/Muston lane and Barkestone lane; and how that would compare with the construction cost of the by-pass itself.
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§ Mr. Peter BottomleyIf they had been included in the design, the cost of constructing the two underpasses would have been £480,000. Construction of the bypass is estimated to cost £2.76 million.
Provision of a cattle creep or underpasses was ruled out because of the costs involved. They would necessitate raising the level of the bypass over a distance of 1 km to achieve the required height.
At the public inquiry in April 1986, the Department gave evidence to show that, over a 10-hour period, between 8 am and 6 pm in September 1983, only 15 cyclists and 12 pedestrians used Easthorpe/Muston lane. Numbers may have increased slightly, but it is not considered that they warrant the provision of an underpass. Barkestone lane has become a dead end. No counts were taken, but we would expect the number here to be even less. Very few residents are served by it.