Highways Agency - Safe roads, Reliable journeys, Informed travellers

3 February 2010: Question - Lords Hansard text for 3 February 2010

Asked by Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what road construction projects in England costing over £10 million (a) are under way, and (b) have been approved; what is the expected cost of each such project; and what are their planned start and finish dates. [HL1664]

The Secretary of State for Transport (Lord Adonis): The two tables below provide information on Highways Agency and local authority major road schemes costing over £10 million which are currently under way (under construction), together with their planned start and completion dates.

There are currently no approved Highways Agency schemes which are not already under construction. The local major schemes listed have been granted full approval which under the department's local major scheme approval process allows construction to commence. There are other local major schemes that are an earlier stage within the approval process but have yet to reach full approval.

Notes:

(1) M1 Junction 10-13 Managed Motorways scheme is being progressed as two work packages to be delivered on different timescales: Mainline Works-to be undertaken within the existing highway boundary; and Junction Works-which require statutory processes including Public Inquiry.  The Mainline Works have moved into the Construction Phase. The Junction Works are planned to start in early 2011.

(2) For schemes which have been progressed through the project lifecycle (Options-Development-Construction), scheme costs are presented as range estimates approved prior to the scheme starting Construction. For earlier schemes which were developed before the introduction of the project lifecycle, scheme costs reflect the latest ministerial approved budget.

(3) The two M25 schemes are privately financed through a DBFO (Design, Build, Finance and Operate) contract. The latest ministerial approved budgets given in the table were approved in 2007. The schemes were authorised to proceed to construction in May 2009 with capitalisation costs, based on the financial close model at the time, of £563 million and £369 million for Sections 1 (J16-23) and 4 (J27-30) respectively.

(4) M1 J25-28 excludes controlled motorway costs of £13 million.

Notes

(1) Total estimated scheme costs are based on local authority current estimated costs (Quarter 3, 2009/10)

3 February 2010: Question - Lords Hansard text for 3 February 2010

Asked by Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the annual cost of litter picking on the roads for which the Highways Agency is responsible. [HL1666]

The Secretary of State for Transport (Lord Adonis): Section 89 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 places a duty on the Highways Agency to remove litter from motorways in England. Responsibility for removing litter from the all-purpose trunk road network, with the exception of roads managed by a "design, build, finance, operate" company lies with local authorities.

Litter collection on motorways is one of the numerous duties carried out as part of the Highway's Agency's routine maintenance function and costs for individual activities are not recorded separately. It is therefore not possible to provide costs for litter collection.

10 March 2010: Roads: Snow and Ice - House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 10 March 2010

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to the answer of 22 February 2010, Official Report, column 208W, on roads: snow and ice, which companies are contracted to deliver the Highways Agency's routine and winter service; what activities are included within these contracts; and how much his Department spent annually on each contract in the last year for which information available. [320834]

Mr. Khan: The Highways Agency provides its routine and winter services through two main contract mechanisms:

1. Managing Agent Contractors.
2. Design build finance and operate and private finance initiative.

Managing Agent Contractors

The Managing Agent Contractors who are currently contracted by the Highways Agency to deliver routine and winter services are listed as follows:

AccordMP (Joint venture)
Amey
Amey Mouchel (Amey/Mouchel)
A-ONE+ (Colas/Halcrow/Costain)
A-ONE Integrated Highways Services (Halcow and Colas)
Atkins Ltd.
Balfour Beatty/Mott MacDonald
Carillion/WSP
Enterprisemouchel (Accord/Enterprise and Mouchel)
InterRoute (Raynesway/Mott MacDonald/Serco)

Generic activities included in these managing agent contractors contracts are:

Routine maintenance which includes pothole repairs, street lighting maintenance, cyclical tasks such as cutting grass verges, gully emptying and litter picking, response and repairs following collisions or spillages, periodic inspections of the condition of road surfaces and structures and identifying the need for planned maintenance;

Winter maintenance including the spreading of road salt, snow clearance and maintenance of the equipment used for those tasks; and

Planned maintenance which includes road surfacing, strengthening and replacement of structures such as tunnels and bridges and minor improvements to the network.

In 2008-09, the last year for which information is available, the Highways Agency spent £327.6 million on routine maintenance, £40.6 million on winter maintenance and £493.4 million on planned maintenance through managing agent contractors contracts.

The provision of the routine and winter maintenance service is tendered as a fixed price "lump sum" activity in the individual contracts. The agency does not disclose contract specific spend information as this could prejudice the contractors' commercial interest and thereby undermine fair competition.

Design build finance and operate and private finance initiative contracts

These contracts apply to certain specific routes and typically incorporate provision of significant improvements to the network together with maintenance over a prolonged period (generally 30 years). These companies are listed as follows:

Design build finance and operate

Autolink Concessionaires (A19) Ltd.
Connect A30/A35 Ltd.
Connect A50 Ltd.
Connect M1-A1 Ltd.
Connect Plus Services (CPS)
Road Link (A69) Ltd.
Road Management Services (Darrington) Ltd.
Road Management Services (Gloucester) Ltd.
Road Management Services (Peterborough) Ltd.
Sheppey Route Ltd. c/o Carillion Highway Maintenance
UK Highways M40 Ltd.
Private finance initiative
Midland Expressway
Severn River Crossing plc

The routine and winter maintenance costs within these contracts are not included in the 2008-09 spend figures given above. The payment mechanisms on these contracts are such that it would not be possible for the Highways Agency to abstract the routine and winter maintenance costs.

22 March 2010: Roads: Repairs and Maintenance - House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 22 March 2010

Mr. Whittingdale: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much was spent (a) in total and (b) per head of population on road improvements in (a) England, (b) the East of England and (c) Essex in each of the last 10 years. [323332]

Mr. Khan: A table containing the information requested has been placed in the Libraries of the House. The table includes estimated expenditure on motorways and trunk roads in the East of England, but expenditure on the strategic road network is not available by local authority boundary. The table also excludes shadow tolls for design, build, finance and operate contracts on the strategic road network.

24 March 2010: Question - Lords Hansard text for 24 March 2010

Asked by Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government which companies have contracts with the Highways Agency for litter collection from roads in England; what are the start and end dates of each such contract; and what geographical areas they cover. [HL2961]

The Secretary of State for Transport (Lord Adonis): The Highways Agency is responsible for litter clearance on motorways. Local authorities have responsibility for litter clearance on all other roads, including most all-purpose trunk roads.

The companies contracted by the Highways Agency to collect litter on the strategic road network, the geographical areas covered by those contracts and the contract start and end dates are listed in the table below:

Key:

MAC-Managing Agent Contract
DBFO-Design Build Finance and Operate
EMAC-Enhanced Managing Agent Contract
PFI-Private Finance Initiative