MT 39/23

ORGANISATION: Arterial roads staff

Date range	1922-1931
Location	National Archives (see all files stored here)
Catalogue	See entry
File base	Series MT, subseries MT 39

Context

This file's title might not sound enticing, and indeed the parts that refer only to the staff of the Arterial Roads section of the MOT are not. But actually there is much more here than its title suggests - the issue of staffing became a major concern in the early 1920s as the Government began looking at employment relief schemes and asked the MOT to start work on new roads that would require large amounts of labour.

The MOT - and specifically Sir Charles Bressey, who was DRE for London at the time - complained that this was unreasonable, because they did not have schemes ready to go, and would be forced to start construction work without detailed plans, bills of quantities and so on.

There is a lot here relating to the Glasgow-Edinburgh Road, which went ahead as an unemployment relief scheme. There are also documents relating to other schemes, including many early London Arterial Roads, from which precise opening dates can be inferred.

People with camera copies

None known.