SIX-MONTH SETBACK FOR MAIrr LC, SCHEMES
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THE Minister of Transport has announced that about half the motorway and trunk road schemes due to start shortly will be deferred for six months because of the deferment of public expenditure on capital projects. A review is being carried out of classified road schemes and local authorities will shortly be informed which of these can be started as planned.
With certain exceptions, the starting of work on all major road schemes will, until further notice, be deferred until six months later than they would otherwise have started.
Projects that will go on as planned are: (a) schemes in development districts and areas of high unemployment; (b) schemes which affect access to the docks or directly help industry or the export drive; (c) certain contracts which extend or complete projects already started which would be frustrated by postponement.
On classified roads, the Ministry's divisional road engineers have already obtained from local highway authorities particulars of schemes on which it is planned to let contracts in the next six months. Until the review has been completed, local authorities are asked to delay the start of any work, even though grant may have been issued. The Ministry will correspondingly defer the issue of grants or loan sanctions.
Deferment will continue until further notice and will clearly involve the postponement of some schemes with planned starting dates beyond the next six months. Local authorities will be informed later how any further deferments will be handled.
Expenditure on maintenance and minor improvements on motorways, trunk roads and classified roads is not generally affected by the measures.
Regarding other services which are the Minister's concern, such as unclassified roads, non-grant-aided classified road expenditure, car parks, highway depots and plant. lighting of roads, traffic signs. and so on. authorities have been asked to defer capital projects on the same basis as for classified roads, whether loan sanction has been issued or not. 7he deferment measures will not apply Apcnditure on local authority port and senger transport undertakings which rtes intothe category of essential estment required by the undertakings tccordancc with their planned developnt.