Written question asked by Norman Baker (Liberal Democrat) on Wednesday, 9 December 2009, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 14 December 2009. It was answered by Chris Mole (Labour) on Tuesday, 5 January 2010 on behalf of the Department for Transport.

M20: Lorries

Question: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what the cost was of the moveable concrete barrier on the M20, pursuant to Operation Stack, how many times it has been deployed; and what assessment he has made of its effectiveness.

Answer: The installation cost of the moveable concrete barrier on the M20 pursuant to Operation Stack was £6,848,084.The moveable barrier has been used three times since its introduction in September 2008. The first time was for a period of 10 weeks following the Channel Tunnel fire closure in late 2008. The moveable barrier has been assessed as being highly effective in achieving the safe but rapid implementation of Operation Stack Phase 1 on the M20, so avoiding widespread travel disruption in Kent.

Secondary information