§ Mr. CallaghanTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the expected road life of the existing motorways in the north-west of England; and if he will make a statement. [39959]
§ Mr. WattsI have asked the chief executive of the Highways Agency to write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Lawrie Haynes to Mr. Jim Callaghan, dated 15 October 1996:
The Secretary of State for Transport has asked me to reply to your recent question asking about the expected road life of the existing motorway in the North West of England.Regular inspections and surveys are carried out to determine maintenance needs and timing of the trunk motorway network. The latest assessment of the residual life of the carriageways shows that 7.6 per cent. of the trunk motorway network in the North West, including Cumbria, will within the next four years reach the point where future performance becomes unpredictable and maintenance needs to be considered. The equivalent figure nationally is 12.7 per cent. These figures show that the motorway network is in good structural condition. Roads are generally designed to last for 20 years before they require major maintenance and, at any time, about 20 per cent. of the motorway network could be expected to fall within the above category.These figures exclude carriageways constructed wholly of concrete for which there is currently no reliable method of measuring residual life.