§ Mr. Tim SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects work to start on the widening of the M40 between Denham and Loudwater. [19443]
§ Mr. WattsI have asked the chief executive of the Highways Agency to write to my hon. Friend.
Letter from Lawrie Haynes to Mr. Tim Smith, dated 11 March 1996:
The Secretary of State for Transport has asked me to reply to your recent question about widening the M40 between Denham and Loudwater.
As you know, the M40 Junctions 1A to 3 (Denham to Loudwater) widening scheme has been included as part of the larger DBFO project M40 Junctions 1 to 15. Tenders for the DBFO project were invited in June 1995 and bids were received at the end of October. Since then negotiations have been taking place with the tenderers and we would hope to sign a contract with the successful tenderer this summer. On that basis work could still start on the widening in late summer.
I am sorry that I cannot be more precise about the date for the start of works, but that depends on progress with negotiations and the successful tenderer's programme. However, we have included a strong financial incentive in the contract for the contractor to complete the widening as quickly as possible and I expect work to progress speedily once it starts.