§ Mr. Austin-WalkerTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what contribution he is seeking from the private sector for construction of the east London river crossing.
§ Mr. NorrisIt is not our policy to seek contributions to the construction of strategic trunk road schemes in my Department's programme except in cases where additional traffic generated by new private development would cause us to provide facilities which are more extensive, or earlier, than otherwise needed.
The east London river crossing was included in the national programme in 1979, to complete the extension of the north circular road to the A2 as part of a coherent network for longer distance traffic within London. No additional facilities have been included in the plans since then to deal with specific development proposals and so no contributions are currently being sought from the private sector.
§ Mr. Austin-WalkerTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the current estimated cost of building the east London river crossing.
§ Mr. NorrisThe total estimated cost at 1989 prices is about £300 million.