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Row over roads
Page 32
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• A battle between the Minister of Transport and the British Road Federation has been raging over trunk road schemes. It began last week when the • BRF issued a report, "Motorway Progress", which says that 18 motorway and trunk road projects costing up to £100rn which should begin this year will now be delayed by an average of six months each: some will be delayed for up to two years and the report blames the set-back on "a persistent failure to complete planning and other procedures on time."
The Minister of Transport, Mr. Marsh, refuted the BRF allegations in the following terms: "A report widely quoted last week claimed that 18 motorway and trunk road schemes which should have begun this year would be delayed by an average of six months each. This report was apparently based on a comparison between two lists of schemes made available at different times by the Ministry to road construction firms to give them a broad indication of schemes likely to be coming forward in the next year or so and to find out from each firm for which schemes they would be interested in tendering. These were tentative lists of schemes and definitely not programmes; for instance, they includedmore schemes than could, in the event, be undertaken. Experience has shown that, in view of uncertainty about the time required for statutory and other processes, some schemes are always likely to be delayed."
To this BRF chairman Lord Cheshain came back by accusing the Government of "staggering complacency" over Britain's roads. Speaking at the Federation's annual meeting on Monday he criticized Mr Marsh for producing schemes that were "just a hatch patch". The Minister's Green Paper, said Lord Chesham, "flounders in talk of comprehensive strategy and route appraisal, but steers its way round the one real question that needs to be answered: when? If the plan is to mean anything, the government must set down some firm target dates and regard the construction of the new inter-urban roads as a matter of national priority."
Meanwhile Mr. Marsh has announced that he has given the GLC approval to put road improvement schemes costing nearly L30m on the "preparation list". He has also accepted a £6.5m tender for 11 miles of motorway between Wootton Bassett and Liddington in Wilts on M4 route.