§ Richard Younger-RossTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his Department's latest estimate is of672W (a) the cost of the local road repair backlog and (b) the proportion of principal local roads with no residual life as at 1 April. [186163]
§ Mr. McNultyThe Department does not yet have firm enough data to make a robust estimate of the maintenance backlog on roads and footpaths.
The structural condition of roads is represented by its "residual life". Where a road's residual life falls to or below zero its deterioration is no longer predictable. It may remain serviceable but needs to be monitored closely to see if maintenance is needed. In the most recent available figures, for 2003, 17 per cent. of English principal roads came into this category.
§ Richard Younger-RossTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress the Government has made towards its target of halting the deterioration of the local road network by April. [186164]
§ Mr. McNultyResults of the National Road Maintenance Condition Survey show that there has been a significant improvement in the condition of English local roads between 2000 and 2003, the latest year for which results are available. The Government is therefore on track to meet its target of halting the deterioration by 2004.
§ Richard Younger-RossTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress the Government has made towards its target of completing or having under construction 40 schemes from the Highways Agency's targeted programme of improvements by 2005. [186170]
§ Mr. Jamieson31 out of the original 40 schemes, contained in the targeted programme of improvements (TPI), are already completed, under construction or will be on site by April 2005. A further three schemes are planned to start this year.