HC Deb 07 September 2004 vol 424 cc1129-33W
Mr. Robathan

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list planned road resurfacing projects broken down by the number of houses affected by above 68dB of noise that will benefit from noise reduction; and how many of these projects will be financed from the £5 million ringfenced sum. [186728]

Mr. Jamieson

In general, priorities for resurfacing sections of the strategic road network are assessed according to maintenance need rather than noise criteria. Detailed information on the numbers of houses exposed to more than 68dB that are expected to benefit from this resurfacing programme is not available.

An assessment of the number of houses exposed to more than 68dB is only made for sites meeting the criteria for noise announced on 22 March 1999 in connection with the £5 million ringfenced sum. This ringfenced sum was specifically aimed at funding noise mitigation measures at sites where the noise problems were serious and pressing and where resurfacing with quieter materials could not be justified on normal maintenance grounds.

In the majority of cases, the ringfenced sum has funded the provision of noise barriers at locations identified on the list published on 11 November 1999. There is #nly one resurfacing scheme in the 2004–05 programme with funding from, the ringfenced sum. This will deal with the problem identified on M6 junctions 34–35, Camforth and should provide a significant noise reduction for approximately 300 houses currently exposed to more than 68dB of noise.

Mr. Yeo

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much has been spent in each year since 1997 installing speed humps on roads. [186761]

Mr. Darling

The installation of speed humps is a matter for individual Highway Authorities. As such this information is not held centrally.

Local authorities are solely responsible for the implementation of all traffic calming schemes, including the installation of road humps.

Funding is allocated via the Single Capital Pot based on the Road Safety Strategy contained within their Local Transport Plans.

Bob Russell

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to his answer of 20 July 2004,Official Report, column 130W, on road safety, how many people died as a result of crashes that occurred on hard shoulders of English trunk motorways in (a) 2002 and (b) 2003. [187058]

Mr. McNulty

The number of people who have died as a result of crashes that occurred on English trunk road motorways where at least one vehicle was on, entering or leaving the hard shoulder in(a) 2002 was 22 and in (b) 2003 was 11.

Mr. Tony Clarke

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many road schemes have been started in Northampton in each year since 1992. [186517]

Mr. McNulty

The number of road improvements, costing over £1 million, and excluding maintenance schemes, started in Northampton for each year since 1992 is as follows:

Number
1992 1
1993 0
1994 0
1995 0
1996 1
1997 1
1998 1
1999 2
2000 0
2001 0
2002 1
2003 2

Richard Younger-Ross

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the Government are on track to achieve its target of delivering(a) 100 new bypasses on trunk and local roads and (b) 130 major local road schemes by 2010; and what the (i) construction costs,

A. Major Project Bypasses already completed
Scheme Latest estimated

outturn cost

(£million)

Start of works Date of completion
A5 Nesscliffe Bypass 20 March 2002 March 2003
A6 Great Glen Bypass 21 April 2001 February 2003
A6 Rushden and Higham Ferrers Bypass 16 April 2002 August 2003
A6 Rothwell-Desborough Bypass 19 April 2002 August 2003
A6 Clapham Bypass 44 May 2001 December 2002
A6 Alvaston 22 September 2002 December 2003
A27 Pplegate Bypass 29 October 2000 June 2002
A41 Aston Clinton Bypass 44 August 2001 October 2003
A43 Towcester-M40 Dualling (including A43 Silverstone Bypass) 97 February 2001 September 2002
A63 Selby Bypass 65 October 2001 June 2004
A66 Stainburn and Great Clifton Bypass 12 July 2001 December 2002
A500 Basford, Hough, Shavington Bypass 54 June 2001 May 2003
A650 Bingley Relief Road 91 July 2001 December 2003
M6 Toll (accelerated Roads Review scheme) 1Toll Road March 2001 December 2003
1The M6 Toll Road is privately funded. There is some publicly funded expenditure, which is currently estimated to outturn at £41 million.

B. Major Project Bypasses in the current TPI, either on site or expected to be on site by the end of 2004–05, and to be completed by'

2010–11

Scheme Latest Estimated

Outturn cost

(£ million)

Actual/Estimated

Start of Works

Estimated date

of completion

Status at 1 April 2004

(2004–05 Business Plan

Key/Critical Event)

A10 Wadesmill Colliers End 39 April 2002 2004–05 Road Open
A21 Lamberhurst Bypass 19 June 2003 2004–05 Road Open
A5 Weeford-Fazeley Improvement 38 April 2004 2005–06 Start of Works (achieved)
A421 Great Barford Bypass 43 2004–05 2006–07 Start of Works
A47 Thorney Bypass 28 2004–05 2006–07 Start of Works

C Major Project Bypasses in the TPI, not yet on site, but to be completed by 2010–11
Scheme Latest estimated

outturn cost(£ million)

Status at 1 April 2004 (2004–05 Business Plan Key/

Critical Event)

A21 Kippings Cross to Lamberhurst Bypass 68 Awaiting Ill entry (achieved)
A3 Hindhead Improvement 236 Public inquiry
A303 Stonehenge 223 No Event—Public inquiry already started
A38 Dobwalls Bypass 36 Publish draft Orders and Environmental Statement
A419 Blunsdon 40 Publish draft Orders and Environmental Statement
A483 Pant-Llanymynech Bypass 41 ECI tenders invited

(ii) scheduled date for start of construction, (iii) expected completion date and (iv) status at 1 April is for each currently identified scheme. [186168]

Mr. Jamieson

The Government are on track to deliver 32 new bypasses on the strategic road network by the end of 2010–11. The following table gives the relevant detail on these bypasses which have either been completed, or are contained within the current Targeted Programme of Improvements (TPI).

Firm decisions have yet to be made on start of works for the remainder of the current programme so no forecast dates of opening are possible but the latest estimated outturn costs and status report for these schemes has been provided.

On local roads it is too soon to say whether the quoted number of local road schemes will be delivered. This depends largely on how quickly local authorities bring their schemes to completion. 79 road schemes have been fully or provisionally approved by the Government since 2000; these schemes are now at various stages of delivery. A local authority's progress in delivering a local road scheme is a matter for the local authority concerned. The Government are considering a number of other road scheme proposals from local authorities.

C Major Project Bypasses in the TPI, not yet on site, but to be completed by 2010–11
Scheme Latest estimated

outturn cost(£ million)

Status at 1 April 2004 (2004–05 Business Plan Key/

Critical Event)

A505 Dunstable Northern Bypass (A5 to M1 Link) 48 ECI contract awarded
A57/A628 Mottram in Longdendale, Hollingworth and Tintwistle Bypass 103 ECI contract awarded
A590 High and Low Newton Bypass 22 ECI tenders invited
A595 Parton-Lillyhall Improvement 25 Publish Inquiry
A64 Rillington Bypass 12 ECI tenders invited
A66 Temple Sowerby and Improvement at Winderwath 23 ECI contract awarded
A69 Haydon Bridge Bypass 24 ECI contract awarded