§ Mr. Paul MarsdenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on the progress made to build the Nesscliffe A5 road bypass and on the anticipated completion date.[154466]
§ Mr. HillI have asked the Chief Executive of the Highways Agency, Tim Matthews, to write to my hon. Friend.
285WLetter from John Kerman to Mr. Paul Marsden, dated 22 March 2001
PROGRESS ON A5 NESCLIFFE BYPASS
The Transport Minister, Keith Hill, has asked Tim Matthews the Chief Executive to reply to your Parliamentary Question about progress on the A5 Nesscliffe Bypass. I am replying in the absence of Tim Matthews.Good progress is being made with the statutory procedures, which are now close to completion. The Compulsory Purchase Order has been confirmed and the legal challenge period is due to expire on 29 March 2001. We have begun the procurement process with the aim of inviting tenders in June for a Design and Build Contract. We hope to award the contract in December this year. Work should start on what we expect to be a 21 month contract in early Spring 2002. All being well, the bypass should be open to traffic in late Autumn 2003.We are confident that we will meet this programme but we do have to bear in mind the current restrictions imposed by the Foot and Mouth situation on access to the countryside. This is particularly relevant given the essential ecological surveys that must be carried out at specific times of the year. We will keep this situation under close review.If you would like any additional information please contact Stephen Edwards at our Birmingham office His telephone number is 0121 678 8360.