M6 and MI Extensions
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TODAY, Friday, the Minister of Transport is due to open the 13+-mile-long section of M6 motorway connecting the Preston and Lancaster by-passes. The 110 miles of M6 from Dunston to Carnforth thus becomes the longest stretch of British motorway, although M1 officially beat it to the 100-mile mark when the LutterworthMarkfield extension in Leicestershire was opened by Mr. Fraser last Friday.
The section of M1 opened last week takes the motorway north from the A4114 junction at Lutterworth past Leicester to the junction with A50 at Markfield; there is direct access to Leicester from the motorway by a. junction with A46.
Opening the extension, the Minister said that for Leicester it could cut the goods vehicle journey time to London by between 10 and 17 per cent, the junction with A6 would be opened later this year and in 1966 the junction with A52 at Sandiacre would be reached, giving the whole of the Nottingham and Derby area a first-class through route to the south.
Mr. Fraser pointed out that motorway specifications were being improved all the time and since the early M1 days not only had the width of hard shoulders and verges been increased but the overall width of a dual three-lane motorway was now 129 ft. instead of 112 ft. The cost had gone up from about £350,000 a mile to around £700,000.
Scottish Show : The 45th Scottish Motor Show, whose dates have been confirmed for this year as Friday. November 12, to Saturday, November 20, will cover the customarily wide field. Exhibits will include goods vehicles and p.s.v. motorized caravans, car, transport service equipment, accessories, components and tyres. Stand space will he allocated on June 2.