§ Lord Moranasked Her Majesty's Government:
What progress has been made in the past 12 months with the provision of quiet road surfaces using materials like "whisper concrete" and porous asphalt: and what plans they have for putting down more such road surfaces in the future. [HL1195]
§ Baroness HaymanOver the last 12 months, quieter road surfaces have been used on a number of sites within the trunk road network. Porous asphalt has been used on a limited number of sites, including a length adjacent to Junction 10 of the M.25 and a section of the M.40. In addition a quieter thin asphalt road surface has been laid widely within the network, including sections of the M.4, M.5 and M.40. These types of surface are an alternative development which offers a more cost effective option. No new sections of whisper concrete have been provided.
Future plans for this year include the use of porous asphalt on the A.34 Newbury Bypass, quieter thin asphalt surfacings which will continue to be used widely on the trunk road network, and a whisper concrete development trial which will be carried out on the A.13 at Wennington to Mar Dyke, Essex.