Britain: An official handbook > 1993

BRITAIN 1993: AN OFFICIAL HANDBOOK
and maintenance are paid for by central
government. The highway authorities for
non-trunk roads are:
• in England, the county councils, the
metropolitan district councils, the
London borough councils and the
Common Council of the City of
London;
• in Wales, the county councils; and
• in Scotland, the regional or islands
councils.
In Northern Ireland the Northern
Ireland Department of the Environment
is responsible for the construction,
improvement and maintenance of all
public roads.
Research on transport provides
information necessary for the Department
of Transport to set standards for highway
and vehicle design, to obtain better value
for money in highway construction and
repair, and to formulate transport,
environmental and safety policies and
legislation. Research is carried out by the
Transport Research Laboratory, an
executive agency of the Department of
Transport. Its Overseas Unit advises the
Overseas Development Administration on
giving assistance to developing countries to
help solve their transport problems.
Research is also carried out by universities
and other higher education institutions,
consultants and industry, while some is
done collaboratively within European
Community programmes.
Road Programme
The Government has implemented a major
programme to improve the motorway and
trunk road network (see map, rear
endpapers). The programme is aimed at
increasing the traffic capacity of major
through routes and removing traffic from
unsuitable roads in towns and villages. Over
one-third of schemes in the programme are
bypasses or relief roads. In spring 1992, some
70 motorway and trunk road schemes were
under construction in England and over 400
further schemes were in preparation.
Expenditure of £1,400 million for new trunk
road construction is planned for 1992-93.
Important schemes include the Ml-Al link
road, which will be completed in 1993, thus
improving communications between the
Midlands and East Anglia. Some 312 major
local authority road schemes are being
supported by the Department of Transport,
including 38 new schemes. Some £892
million is available to support local authority
road schemes in England in 1992-93.
Road communications in Wales are
expected to benefit from the second Severn
crossing, the completion of the M4 motorway
and improvements in the A55 coast road in
north Wales. The A55 improvements
included the construction under the Conwy
estuary of the first immersed tube road
tunnel to be built in Britain, opened in
October 1991. The Welsh Office’s 1992-93
roads and transport programme totals £197
million, and will include starting on the
Table 17.1: Road Length (as at April 1990)
Public
roads
All-purpose
trunk roads
and trunk
motorways
km
Trunk
motorways'*
England
Scotland
Wales
Northern Ireland
274,868
51,923
33,361
24,165
10,545
3,229
1,696
2,323*
2,679
234
120
111
Britain
384,317
17,793
3,144
Sources: Department of Transport, Northern Ireland Department of the Environment, Scottish Office and Welsh Office.
a In addition, there were 44 km (27 miles) of local authority motorway in England and 26 km (16 miles) in Scotland.
* Motorway and Class A roads.
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