Double Track for Western Avenue
Page 57
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MR. ERNEST MARPLES, Minister of Transport, has announced that work will start shortly on the final stage of the double-tracking of Western Avenue (A40), one of London's principal radial roads.
During this stage dual carriageways arc to be constructed between the Uxbridge and Denham roundabouts—a distance of 1+miles. This will involve widening and strengthening the existing viaduct to carry the road over the Fray's River and Western Region railway line.
The contract for the viaduct works, which are due for completion by early summer of 1961, has been let to Howard Farrow, Ltd., of London, whose tender was £128,288.
Work is already in progress on the second carriageway east of the viaduct to facilitate access to the viaduct while it is being widened. Tenders for the remainder of this work on each side of the viaduct will be called for shortly.
With the completion of the new scheme and the Hanger Lane underpass. now under construction, the whole length of Western Avenue, a distance of 12+ miles, will be modern dual carriageway road.
1B.R.F. CALL FOR 33f% TAX CUT A CUT of a third in motor taxation
has been proposed by the British Road Federation in a pre-Budget memorandum to the Chancellor of the Exchequer. This reduction, the Federation say, would be largely counterbalanced by the rapid growth of vehicles.
They point out that taxation in the current year is estimated to yield £568m. Fuel duty alone is calculated to cost £5 per 1,000 ton-miles in road goods transport—for every 150 miles run by an average lorry. The 2s. 6d. a gallon fuel duty is also causing grave difficulties in public road passenger transport.
The Federation ask that the fuel duty should be reduced, and that further cuts should be made in licence and excise duties, particularly for commercial vehicles.
GLASGOW-LONDON ROAD A ROAD improvement scheme between Nether Abington and Telford Bridge in Lanark, on the A74 London-CarlisleGlasgow trunk road, has been authorized. The scheme, which will cost £660.000, includes provision of dual 24-ft. carriageways for about 6f miles, the realignment of the existing road with by-passes at Abington, Crawford, and Hurlburn, and the widening of Glengonnar Bridge.