MT 106/299
GLC 'motorway box': south cross route; preliminary investigations by consultants
| Date range | 1964 |
| Location | National Archives (see all files stored here) |
| Catalogue | See entry |
| File base | Series MT, subseries MT 106 |
Context
In the early days of the Greater London Council, the formulation and design of a strategic road network for the capital was happening at a frantic pace. The GLC's own engineers and surveyors simply couldn't cope with the workload of planning hundreds of miles of urban motorway in detail. As a result, the GLC went pleading to central government for money to employ firms of consulting engineers to take on some of the design work.
This file is simply a discussion between the GLC and the Ministry of Transport about the company Husband & Co., who were already (at this time) contracted to study the South Cross Route. The GLC was seeking additional funds in order that Husband & Co. could also perform design work on the Wandsworth Interchange (presumably Clapham Junction) at the west end of the South Cross Route and the motorways in the Chiswick area. Costings for this work are included and it appears from the file that this was approved.
Unfortunately there is nothing of the consultants' work here.
Contents of note
- Correspondence between GLC and Ministry, demonstrating the incredible cost of simply planning the Ringway network.
- Standard GLC map of Ringway 1.
- Oddly, a series of newspaper cuttings on the proposed Blackheath Tunnel on the South Cross Route. They are a welcome find but don't quite fit in this file - perhaps they were simply dumped here as the file title contains the name ¨South Cross Route¨.
Links to other files
- GLC/DG/PTI/P/05/069 South Cross Route (1965-1969)
- GLC/TD/DP/LDS/02/097 South Cross Route drawings (1965)
- MT 106/188 Principal roads and motorways: GLC; West Cross route, stage 2; consultants report and drawings (1961-1969)
- MT 106/437 GLC: North Cross route and Eastern Avenue extension; consideration of proposed major road network for North Central London; includes consultants' reports (5 parts) (1967-1972)
People with camera copies
Chris Marshall has copies of most of the correspondence and press cuttings.
