§ Mr. EdwardsTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received regarding his proposals to introduce a crawler lane for the A48 at Hardwick Hill, Chepstow; and if he will make a statement.
§ Sir Wyn RobertsA climbing lane—crawler lane—formed part of both the red and blue routes included in the public consultation exercise held in the summer of 1988 for the Hardwick hill improvement.
I announced on 9 July 1991 that following a careful assessment of all the options and representations, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State proposed an improvement along the line of the existing A48 as his preferred option.
A summary of all representations made at that time are included in the statement "Results of Public Consultation". Many additional representations have been received since then. These restate the same views by the same interests. Gwent county council as agent is currently preparing possible options for the improvement of Hardwick hill. A climbing lane forms part of one of these options, but it is too early to say whether such a solution would be adopted.