§ Mrs. DunwoodyTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the future use of porous asphalt and whisper concrete as surfaces on motorways and trunk roads. [39494]
§ 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 Parliamentary Question on the future use of porous asphalt and whisper concrete as surfaces on motorways and trunk roads.It is the Agency's standard practice to invite bids for road construction leaving the tenderers as many options to choose from as is technically possible. In the case of porous asphalt its use has been permitted since 1993. Its adoption is encouraged where conditions are technically suitable and where the benefits can be shown to outweigh the higher costs associated with its use.In the case of whisper concrete following the successful completion of trials its use was permitted from this Spring as an option for all trunk roads and motorways. Where flows exceed 75,000 vehicles per day whisper concrete is the only permitted concrete running surface.