A5: Shropshire

Mr. Paterson
To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport (1) what plans he has to widen the A5 between Wolfshead and Queen's Head; and if he will make a statement;

(2) what recent assessment he has made of the condition of the A5 between Shrewsbury and the Shropshire/Wales border; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Mole
There are currently no plans to widen the A5 between Wolfshead and Queen's Head. The A5 Queen's Head to Wolfshead widening scheme was submitted in the Regional Funding Advice submission to the Government at the end of February 2009. The West Midlands Regional Assembly's decision was not to prioritise the scheme for funding in the period 2009-19.

The A5 between Wolfshead roundabout and Shotatton is currently in good condition. The section of carriageway from Shotatton to Queen’s Head is due to be surface dressed between June and July 2010 to improve the condition of the surface. A survey is currently programmed to identify the causes of a surface water drainage issue approximately 400 metres south of the Queen’s Head Junction.

Mr. Paterson
To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport (1) how many people have been injured on the A5 between Shrewsbury and the Shropshire/Wales border in each of the last 12 years;

(2) how many people have been killed on the A5 between Shrewsbury and the Shropshire/Wales border in each of the last 12 years.

Chris Mole
The following table shows the number of people killed or injured on the A5 between Telford and Shropshire/Wales border, in each of the last 12 years. These figures have been provided by the police and validated by the Department. It has not been possible to disaggregate the data to only report on Shrewsbury to Shropshire/Wales border casualties.

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|    |Fatal|Serious|Slight|
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|1997|5    |28     |108   |
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|1998|1    |22     |94    |
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|1999|6    |23     |82    |
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|2000|2    |23     |102   |
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|2001|2    |18     |104   |
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|2002|6    |14     |86    |
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|2003|2    |14     |74    |
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|2004|2    |13     |107   |
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|2005|1    |11     |73    |
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|2006|3    |10     |84    |
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|2007|0    |3      |107   |
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|2008|1    |6      |85    |
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Mr. Paterson
To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport (1) how many times the A5 between Shrewsbury and the Shropshire/Wales border has been closed for road works in each of the last five years;

(2) how many times the A5 between Shrewsbury and the Shropshire/Wales border has been closed following a road traffic accident in each of the last five years.

Chris Mole
The following table show the number of times the A5 between Shrewsbury and the Shropshire/Wales border has been closed for roadworks and following a road traffic accident, for each of the last five years:

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|    |Total number of closures in both directions due to roadworks|Total number of closures due to road traffic accident (figures include closures in one or both carriageways)|
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|2005|1                                                           |5                                                                                                           |
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|2006|4                                                           |6                                                                                                           |
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|2007|3                                                           |10                                                                                                          |
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|2008|1                                                           |6                                                                                                           |
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|2009|0                                                           |4                                                                                                           |
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