Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the cost to the public purse is of the roadworks taking place on the M1 between junctions 15 and 19.

The planned expenditure for this phase of works is £62.5 million. Actual costs can only be determined once the works are completed and final accounts calculated.

The M1 J19 to 15 is replacing the existing steel barrier with a new concrete barrier. This includes removal of the existing steel central reserve barrier and all the existing lighting columns as these are no longer required. We have also undertaken a number of maintenance repairs to bridge piers that sit within the central reserve negating the need for any follow on scheme to carry these out. These works will have a significant reduction in the future maintenance needs for the central reserve as well as assisting in the preparation for the M1 J19-16 Smart Motorway All Lane Running (SM ALR) project that is currently in development.