§ Sir Peter FryTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) when he expects the Government's bridge survey to be finished; [6768]
657W(2)how many (a) bridges and (b) roads have been evaluated as unsafe to carry an 11.5 tonne axle weight. [6767]
§ Mr. WattsI have asked the chief executive of the Highways Agency to write to my hon. Friend.
Letter from Lawrie Haynes to Sir Peter Fry, dated 4 December 1996:
The Secretary of State for Transport has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions asking when he expects the Government's bridge survey to be finished, and how many bridges and roads have been evaluated as unsafe to carry an 11.5 tonne axle weight.The Highways Agency is making good progress with its programme of assessing the load carrying capacity of trunk road structures in England, ie those for which the Secretary of State is the highway authority. This programme is expected to be complete by March 1998.Of those that have been assessed, there are three bridges supporting trunk roads which are unable safely to carry an 11.5 tonne axle weight at the present time. These are:
- M1 Junction 2 Slip Road Viaduct in North London;
- MA 13 Movers Lane Flyover in East London; and
- MA40 Golden Valley Flyover in Gloucestershire.
The first of these is currently closed to all traffic; the other two have weight restrictions in place. Improvements are planned at each location. A number of bridges carrying local roads is also unable to bear 11.5 tonne axle loading. It is for the local highway authority concerned to decide what action is appropriate in these cases.A road may deteriorate more rapidly under heavier axle loading, but there is no risk to safety as in the case of a weak bridge. There is, therefore, no comparable programme in place for assessing the load-carrying capacity of roads.