§ Mr. Andrew TurnerTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what roads on the Isle of Wight and in Southampton, Portsmouth and Hampshire are the responsibility of his Department; what(a) agency and (b) other arrangements exist for the maintenance of those roads; and what consultation agents undertake with his Department on works and traffic management schemes affecting those roads. [26662]
§ Mr. Jamieson[holding answer 11 January 2002]: I have asked the chief executive of the Highways Agency, Mr. Tim Matthews, to write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Tim Matthews to Mr. Andrew Turner, dated 14 January 2002:
I have been asked by the Transport Minister, David Jamieson, to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about roads on the Isle of Wight and in the County of Hampshire.The Highways Agency manages the motorway and trunk road network in England on behalf of the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (DTLR). Maintenance of these 16W roads is carried out by Managing Agents and Term Maintenance Contractors. The roads we are responsible for in Hampshire are the M3, M27, M271 and the A3(M) Motorways and A3, A339, A34, A303, A27 and A31 all purpose trunk roads. We have no responsibility for roads on the Isle of Wight.The Agency sets standards for works and traffic management, and the way they are carried out to a level agreed with the Department. Those standards are built in to the commissions we give to our agents.