Delays to road projects condemned

The cost of the schemes may have risen since they were proposed Delays to work on two major roads in the East Midlands have been blamed on poor planning and bureaucracy. The Institute of Civil Engineers (ICE) has claimed the A46 and A453 have suffered "paralysis by analysis" as officials demand more studies. It said the A46 in Nottinghamshire had planning approval but no funding while the A453 from Leicestershire to Nottingham has money but no permission. The Department for Transport said both roads are a priority for the region. Making the heavily congested A453 a dual carriageway has been discussed since the early 1980s but firm plans only put forward in 2004. The Department of Transport is currently looking at the finer details of the plans to widen the A453. Funding 'poor' Work is due to begin in 2010 but a recent... [read full story]