Oral Answers to Questions

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown Excerpts

Thursday 5th July 2018 Commons Chamber

The Secretary of State was asked—

[Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (The Cotswolds) (Con)]

1. Which road schemes he plans to allocate funding to as part of the second Road Investment Strategy.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Jesse Norman)]

The Department is considering evidence about the strategic road network gathered by Highways England and stakeholders over the past two years, alongside responses to the consultation that took place over the winter. The Department will be announcing the decisions about which new enhancements will be included in the second road investment strategy in 2019.

[Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown]

I thank my hon. Friend for that answer. On the A417 missing link scheme Swindon to Gloucester, can he confirm that it is the Government’s intention that a preferred route will be announced in the first quarter of next year, followed by the development consent order process, followed hopefully by RIS2 funding, and with an intention to commence in the early 2020s to build this much-needed road where there has been a fatality recently?

[Jesse Norman]

This road is both dangerous and highly congested. Highways England has been carrying out a consultation on improving the missing link near the Air Balloon pub, as my hon. Friend will know, and I have recently met him and colleagues. Once the responses have been analysed there will be further consultation ahead of the preferred route announcement. We certainly hope there will be a PRA early in 2019.