ROAD NEWS
Page 47
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Maintenance decline
'THE NATIONAL Road Maintenance Condition Survey published earlier this month concludes that the condition of the UK's roads declined in 1985. Minister for Roads and Traffic Peter Bottomley has responded by pointing to the increased expenditure on road maintenance in 1985-86. He specifically said that the backlog of motorway repairs will he eliminated by the early I990s. You may experience some of that work in the coming week. These are some of the major roadworks scheduled to take place. • Ml Northamptonshire. On both the north and southbound carriageways two lanes will be closed two miles north of junction 16 (Heyford) on Sunday, March 23. • M45 Northamptonshire. One lane will be closed on both carriageways for resurfacing work. • M25 London orbital motorway. Bridge lane closures until further notice while inspection work carried
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• M63 Barton Bridge near Manchester. Operators arc being advised of long delays for up to throe years while the DTP spends £20 million on widening the two-lane stretch between Junctions 1 and 3 (Worsley and Urmston). Closure of one lane On the northbound carriageway begins on April 6. Further aggravation will take place from April 27 to the middle ofJune when single lane working is carried out on both carriageways. After June 15 the Bridge will revert to two lanes although there will still be slip road closures and narrow lanes. Information line on closures on 061-788 7888.
• Mli Essex, Junction 5 (Loughton). Original carriageway repairs to southbound carriageway now transferred onto northbound section.
• A three-tonnes gvw limit comes into force on London's Hammersmith Bridge on Monday, March 24. This replaces the existing 12 tonne limit.
According to an engineering report prepared for the GLC it was heavy lorries that contributed towards the bearing failure on the bridge in February 1984.