§ Mr. Don FosterTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research has been conducted(a) by and (b) for (i) his Department and (ii) the Highways Agency in relation to the (A) M60 J5–8 widening, (B) M25 J12–15 widening, (C) A46 Newark-Lincoln improvement, (D) A43 M40-B4031 dualling, (E) All Roudham Heath-Attleborough dualling and (F) Al WillowburnDenwick improvement; if he will place copies of related documentation in the Library; and if he will make a statement. [70682]
§ Mr. JamiesonAs part of the 1997 Roads Review a key objective was to develop a clear and open framework to appraise and inform the prioritization of trunk road proposals. To achieve this the Government developed a new approach to appraisal which is based on the following five criteria:
- (i) Environmental Impact
- (ii) Safety
- (iii) Economy
- (iv) Accessibility
- (v) Integration.
Under this appraisal system, my Department and the Highways Agency worked in partnership to produce one-page summaries showing the economic, environmental and social impacts of each trunk road scheme under consideration. The results of the Roads Review were published in July 1998 in "A New Deal for Trunk Roads In England". At the same time "A New Deal For Trunk Roads In England: Understanding The New Approach To Appraisal" was published which included one-page summaries for all the schemes considered during the review including those listed in the question. Copies of both these documents were placed in the Library at that time.
The above named schemes were added to the Targeted Programme Of Improvements (TPI) in July 1998. Once in the TPI these schemes would have been subject to environmental, traffic and structural assessments. However due to the large volume of documentation it would be impractical to place copies of these in the Library.
Al Willowburn—Denwick, All Roudham Heath and A43 M40-B4031 Dualling are currently under construction and are all due to open to traffic by the end of this financial year. Construction of the remaining schemes is either under way or will begin in the next year.
§ Mr. Don FosterTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research has been conducted for his Department and the Highways Agency on the differential costs between programmed maintenance and ad hoc repairs; and if he will make a statement. [70739]
739W
§ Mr. JamiesonThe strategy for maintenance, which is based on the principles of minimising whole life cost, has been derived over the years from a number of studies. The effect of ad hoc repairs is always considered within a maintenance scheme against planned maintenance as part of a value management process and thus ensures value for money. The process, which has been developed over time, takes account of historical records of ad hoc repair costs and the effects of delaying planned maintenance for the specific network length under consideration.