M.25/M.23 Junction Roadworks (Hansard, 20 May 1996)

§ Viscount Goschen

I have asked Mr. Lawrie Haynes, the Chief Executive of the Highways Agency, to write to the noble Lord.

Letter to Lord Trefgarne from the Chief Executive of the Highways Agency, Mr. Lawrie Haynes, dated 17th May 1996.

I have been asked by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport to reply to your parliamentary Question about the roadworks in the region of the M.23/M.25 motorway junction and about the arrangements for minimising the inconvenience to motorists while the work continues.

Although the possibility of delay is always present when carrying out major civil engineering works, we are disappointed with progress on these improvements, which are taking much longer to complete than we originally estimated.

This section of the M.25 is one of the busiest and, to cope with the volume of traffic it carries, it needed to be widened from three lanes each way to four. It is also one of the oldest sections of the M.25, having been in use for some 20 years. To minimise disruption we decided to carry out major maintenance work at the same time as the widening and this included renewing the road surface, upgrading bridges and the installation of lighting. We also set a tight programme.

After work started, we discovered that the original "capping layer", the lowest level of road construction about 1 metre deep, had deteriorated so severely that it would not support the new surface layers. We can only replace this capping layer in a piecemeal way to fit in with traffic phasings. With a scheme of this complexity, I am afraid that it is difficult to determine the precise extent of 75WA defective carriageway in advance of the works and in the event it has been necessary to renew more of the old carriageway foundations than was previously envisaged.

To add to our difficulties, we have had to contend with the premature forming of ruts in newly laid asphalt. The material in question has been widely used elsewhere on the motorway network. Reasons for the problem in this case are unclear. We suspect the cause to be an exceptional combination of site specific factors, which include the high number of lorries which use this section of the M.25, the temporary traffic management arrangements which concentrated the lorries into one lane and the exceptional heat of last summer, which could have affected newly laid asphalt materials.

The result is that, unfortunately, the works are taking longer to complete than was anticipated. Our best estimate of the likely finish is now late in 1996.

We have made every endeavour to keep traffic flowing as smoothly as possible through these roadworks. The contractor has been instructed to keep three lanes open in each direction during the day to try to minimise disruption and inconvenience to local people and the travelling public as much as possible.

Safety is of paramount importance and the traffic management measures on this busy stretch of the M.25 have been designed to protect the safety of both the travelling public and site staff. These measures have been very successful, resulting in an excellent safety record which is a tribute to the close co-operation operating between the contractor, the supervising consulting engineers and the local police. Unfortunately these measures do inevitably affect the flow of traffic through the works.

To help the travelling public plan their journeys and avoid delays, we have set up a round the clock phone line which drivers can call to get up-to-date news about various lane restrictions on the M.25 between Sevenoaks (Junction 5) and Chertsey (Junction 11). I have enclosed a leaflet about the service.

I apologise for the inconvenience caused and, although this contract seems to be having more than its fair share of difficulties, I can assure you that we remain fully aware of the adverse effects the prolongation of the works is having on the travelling public and we are continuing to press for the earliest possible finish. But, once the scheme is finished, drivers will find that the widened carriageways, the improved signing and communication arrangements and the new street lighting provide much improved driving conditions.