Closing address

The wide range of topics covered at this Conference is a reflection of the breadth of the subject. The opinions expressed have been based on a greater practical experience of the implementation of plans in the construction of motorways than would have been possible only a few years ago. Since 1958, the inter-city motorway network in Britain has made sufficient progress to provide those who have participated in its various phases with the confidence to proceed to deal with the greater complexities of urban motorways. There is no satisfactory substitute for cumulative practical experience in an activity of this kind. The fact that the roads continue to form the fastest growing major public expenditure programme lends weight to the case for a continual assessment of the state of the art, so that the lessons learnt from practice may be made known to the professions.