To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what improvements to the Al3 between the North Circular road and the Tower of London will be started before 31 December; at what cost; and when they will be completed;(2) what improvements to the Al3 between the North Circular road and the Tower of London are currently in progress; at what cost; and when they will be completed.

The Department's responsibilities are for the Al3 trunk road, which runs as far west as Butcher row. The remainder of the A13 known as Commercial road is the responsibility of the London borough of Tower Hamlets.Departmental schemes currently under construction are:

Scheme	Works £ million	Completion
Strengthening of Britannia Bridge	0·3	February 1990
Creation of access to "Financial Times"	10·6	February 1990
The following schemes are due to start before 31 December:
West India Dock Road junction interim improvements	1·2	Mid 1991
Cotton Street junction interim improvements2	4·0	Summer 1992
Leamouth Road junction interim improvements	2·0	Early 1991
Ironbridge waterproofing and resurfacing	0·2	September 1990
Cumberland Road Subway refurbishment	0·07	April 1990
Tollgate Road signalled junction	0·75	Summer 1990
1 Costs met by developer.
2 Progress dependent upon timely confirmation of LDDC's compulsory purchase order on land for redevelopment at Woolmore street.

Progress on most of the trunk road schemes are dependent on the completion of statutory processes which could be subject to public inquiry and delay. Completion dates are therefore provisional.Permanent schemes at Butcher row, West India Dock road and Blackwall tunnel northern approach-Cotton street will follow in 1993, when a three and a half year project will commence to make final improvements to the Leamouth road junction and widen the Ironbridge, including the connection of LDDC's East India dock link to the A13.Towards the end of this year we hope to publish Orders for improvement of the A13 junction with the A117 East Ham Manor way and to hold an exhibition of proposals for improvement of the Al3 junction with the A112 Prince Regent lane.The traffic control systems unit of the City of London is investigating on behalf of the Department the possible co-ordintation of signals on the Al3 trunk road in Tower Hamlets to expedite the flow of through traffic.