§ Mr. FryTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the situation on the M1 motorway on the night of 6 to 7 August, and the closure of the northbound lanes, junctions 16 and 18; and what advance publicity was given of this closure.
§ Mr. Kenneth Carlisle[holding answer 2 November 1992] : On the night of 6 to 7 August, traffic using the northbound carriageway of the M1 motorway was reduced to a single lane from 21.30 hours to allow surfacing works to he carried out. Those works, exacerbated by a number of vehicle breakdowns, led to a build-up of traffic after midnight. Once the extent of the problem was recognised, works were halted for the night at 01.30 hours and the road was fully open to traffic by 02.30 hours.
The contract works were well publicised before they began at the end of June; radio announcements and press releases were issued warning of possible delays. Throughout the works, the Department's press office kept in touch with the media.