A596/A597, Workington (Hansard, 15 March 1999)

§ Ms Glenda Jackson

[holding answer 10 March 1999]: I have asked the Chief Executive of the Highways Agency, Mr. Lawrie Haynes, to write to my hon. Friend.

Letter from Peter Nutt to Mr. Dale Campbell-Savours, dated 15 March 1999: The Transport Minister, Glenda Jackson, has asked Lawrie Haynes to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the improvement of the A595/A597 junction at Workington. I am replying on Lawrie's behalf in his absence. We have drawn up our programme of Local Network Management schemes for 1999/2000. In doing so we have had to consider competing priorities across the trunk road network. As a result, I am sorry to have to tell you that at present we are unable to include the improvement of the A596/A597 junction in the programme. As you know, the A596 is one of the trunk routes in Cumbria identified as non-core and which it is proposed to detrunk as part of the Government's integrated transport policy. I understand that you are aware that a delegation from Cumbria County Council and Copeland Borough Council made representations about the 465W detrunking proposals at a recent meeting with Transport Ministers, Dr. John Reid and Lord Whitty. Those representations are being considered together with others, and a final decision by Ministers on the split of the network into core and non-core routes will be announced as soon as possible. If the A596 is confirmed as a non-core route to be detrunked then from 1 April 2000 the Agency will only initiate further improvements that it considers necessary to keep the route in a safe and serviceable condition. It will be for Cumbria County council to consider the need for other improvements in the context of their Local Transport Plan. Provisional plans covering the period 2000/01–2004/05 are due to be submitted by the end of this July.