Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which Highways England capital programme schemes are behind schedule.

Progress is being made on all the major schemes listed in Highways England’s Delivery Plan and it is on track by the end of March 2016 to have started construction on 5 schemes and opened 5 schemes - all scheduled to start or open in 2015/16. Naturally, within this significant £15 billion investment programme of 112 schemes within the current road period, a small minority of schemes may occasionally experience variations in timescale or in the precise form of the solution.

In particular there are two schemes where the schedule has been revised.

For A63 Castle Street progress of the main scheme has been delayed in order to investigate more fully the environmental impacts caused by the scheme and how these can be best mitigated. However, the construction of Princes Quay footbridge is on track to begin in April. My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State has also kept the Rt Hon Member for Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle (Alan Johnson MP), in whose constituency this scheme is, regularly appraised of the relevant issues.

After considering responses to the recent public consultation for the M54 / M6 / M6 Toll, an announcement of the preferred route has been delayed in order to allow a reappraisal of the options.