BRITISH ROADS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 14 October 1938, Page 9

BRITISH ROADS

DEVELOPMENT OF TRUNK HIGHWAYS SURVEY BY THE MINISTER OF TRANSPORT. . PROGRESS IN LONG-TERM POLICY. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, October 12. Speaking at the annual dinner of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, the Minister of Transport, Dr Burgin, described its progress since the Ministry became the highway authority for 4500 miles of trunk roads. He said that a survey of the whole length of 30 trunk roads had been completed and a long-term policy drawn up for each road. Where arrangements for safeguards against unsuitable development were necessary, an order under the Trunk Roads Acts was required. While in the year ending March, 76 such orders had been issued in the first six months of 1938, 108 more had been issued. Eightytwo out of a total of 184 orders were now sealed and the necessary protection or powers obtained. At the time of the transfei’ of the trunk roads, the county councils had in preparation schemes estimated to cost £4,500,000, and in the first year the Ministry had added schemes costing another £4,500,000. The estimates for the present year amounted to £10,000,000. Referring to the complications involved in the acquisition of land for road schemes, Dr Burgin said that the Ministry often had to negotiate with as many as 150 separate interests per mile of new road. A year ago it was in process of acquiring 3000 interests, and the figure had now risep to 12,500. while in the meantime nearly 1000 acquisitions had been completed. He added that, apart from sums spent on road improvements and maintenance, the bill for in England reached £32,000,000 yearly.