§ Mrs. DunwoodyTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how many bridges are awaiting strengthening work to comply with the EU plan to permit 40 tonne trucks; [38152]
(2) which bridges carrying motorways require strengthening work to comply with the EU plan to permit 40 tonne trucks; and in each case what is the target date for the work to be undertaken. [38153]
§ Mr. WattsI have asked the chief executive of the Highways Agency to write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Lawrie Haynes to Mrs. Gwyneth Dunwoody, dated 24 July 1996:
The Secretary of State for Transport has asked me to reply to your recent questions asking how many bridges are awaiting strengthening work to comply with the EU plan to permit 40 tonne trucks; which bridges carrying motorways require strengthening work; and what is the target date for the work to be undertaken. This response relates only to the trunk road network; non-trunk roads are the responsibility of local highway authorities.Trunk road bridges are being assessed to ensure not only that they can carry heavier 40 tonne lorries from 1999 but also that they can continue to carry safely existing 38 tonne lorries. The Highways Agency's aim is to minimise the number of bridges requiring strengthening by putting maximum effort into the assessment process. If a bridge fails an initial assessment, using simple techniques, then an increasingly more sophisticated analysis will be undertaken to ensure that we do not strengthen any bridge unnecessarily. 1,756 trunk road bridges have not yet passed their assessment, but it is expected that only a proportion of these will ultimately require strengthening.360WWhere there is concern that a bridge may not have sufficient load-carrying capacity, temporary measures are put in place to ensure the safety of road users. The Agency's objective is to make certain that, from 1 January 1999, all vehicles up to and including the new 40 tonne maximum gross vehicle weight standard will be able to use all structures carrying trunk roads and other important routes over trunk roads. The attached list gives details of bridges carrying motorways which we are currently planning to strengthen. In other cases, temporary measures, such as propping, will remain in place until full strengthening can be undertaken.
Motorway underbridges in strengthening programme Road Bridge name Target completion A2821 Dartford Tunnel East, Kent September 1998 A2821 Essex Viaduct, Essex September 1998 A1(M) Otterspool, Hertfordshire February 1998 A1(M) Reservoir Railway, South Yorkshire Not decided M1 Five Way Flyover North bound, Barnet June 1997 M1 Five Way Flyover South bound, Barnet June 1997 M1 Transport Farm Subway, Barnet 1998–99 M1 Berrygrove interchange North Hertfordshire February 1998 M1 Berrygrove interchange South Hertfordshire February 1998 M1 Berrygrove interchange North A41, Hertfordshire February 1998 M1 Berrygrove Service Road South Herfordshire November 1998 M1 Berrygrove Service Road North Hertfordshire November 1998 M1 Berrygrove South A41, Hertfordshire November 1998 M1 Old Paul, South Yorkshire April 1998 M2 Medway Viaduct East, Kent March 1998 M2 Medway Viaduct West, Kent March 1998 M2 Medway River, Kent March 1998 M4 Grand Union Canal, Hounslow September 1996 M4 Thames Bray, Berkshire February 1997 M5 Huntspill River, Somerset February 1998 M5 River Brue, Somerset February 1998 M5 Huntworth Viaduct, Somerset February 1997 MS River Tone, Somerset November 1998 M6 Ray Hall Viaduct Bents 12/0–13/10, West Midlands December 1997 M6 Ray Hall Viaduct Bents 11/0–12/10, West Midlands June 1998 M11 Woodford West Viaduct, Hertfordshire November 1998 M40 Tetsworth Pedestrian Underpass, Oxfordshire Not decided M40 Stoke Talmage, Oxfordshire Not decided M40 Nethercote Lane, Oxfordshire Not decided M62 Gelderd Road, West Yorkshire Not decided M62 Narrowbeck Railway, West Yorkshire Not decided M621 South Leeds interchange 13 Railway Not decided M621 Beeston interchange South, West Yorkshire Not decided M621 Beeston Interchange North, West Yorkshire Not decided 1 These structures are included because they are on the line of M25.