New Government figures reveal that the cost of new road building has spiralled. The cost of 96 national and local road schemes have increased since first approved, with the bill for 39 national road proposals going up by an extra £1.3 billion.{1}

CPRE{2} highlights that constructing just one mile of motorway costs 'on average' an amazing £23m, and a mile of dual carriageway £12m.{3} 

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NOTES TO EDITORS
A copy of our table showing all of the currently approved trunk and local authority road schemes, with the estimated cost of the scheme when approved and the most recent figures available, can be downloaded from the CPRE's Website.

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The new figures, released in answers to Parliamentary Questions by Colin Challen and John Hayes MPs, reveal that the costs of 21 road schemes have doubled{4} on original estimates.

This shocking new information comes on the eve of the deadline for local authorities to submit their new Five Year Local Transport Plans to Government.{5} These will include proposals for more roads.

Paul Hamblin, CPRE's Head of Transport Policy, said:

'The Transport White Paper recognises that road building offers no long term solution to today's transport problems.{6}  And yet Ministers and many local authorities continue with plans which will see more tarmac laid over green fields. These figures show that there is a high price to pay — for the taxpayer as well as everyone who cares for our countryside.'

The figures reveal that:

• of 80 national road schemes, costs have risen in over half (41) of them, and reduced in only 2 cases; and
• of 71 local road schemes, costs have risen in 77% (or 55) cases; and reduced in only 2 cases.
• Road schemes where costs are going through the roof include:
• widening the M25 between Junctions 12-15 which has increased from £94m to £120m since approved in 1998;
• the A57/A628 Mottram-Tintwistle Bypass whose costs have increased by £13 million since it was approved in April 2003; and
• the A2 Bean-Cobham Phase 2 which has more than doubled from £35m when first approved in July 1998, to the current estimate of £101m.

CPRE points out that Ministers have been quick to act on rising costs in the railways. We want firm action taken to ensure that limited public funds are not squandered on large road building projects. Instead we want more invested in sustainable transport measures, including public transport, safety schemes and improvements for walking and cycling.

Paul Hamblin concluded:

'While some increases in costs may be justifiable, we are seeing significant major increases for many many schemes.  It appears that once the green light is given for these roads, the costs just escalate. With local authorities bidding for more road schemes this needs to stop.

'It costs just over £46,000 to introduce area wide traffic calming.{7} By concentrating funds on big and increasingly expensive infrastructure, too many people are losing out of the potential benefit of effective traffic management.  Communities are told too many times there isn't enough to go round and they will need to wait in line.'

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NOTES FOR EDITORS

1. Source: Answer to a Question by Colin Challen MP, 14.7.05. The 39 road schemes are those national road schemes which are in the Government's 'Targeted Programme of Improvements' and entered the Roads Programme before April 2003, when accounting changes were introduced.

2. CPRE exists to promote the beauty, tranquillity and diversity of rural England by encouraging the sustainable use of land and other natural resources in town and country. We promote positive solutions for the long-term future of the countryside to ensure change values its natural and built environment. Our Patron is Her Majesty The Queen. We have 60,000 members and supporters, a branch in every county, nine regional groups, over 200 local groups and a national office in London. CPRE is a powerful combination of effective local action and strong national campaigning. Our President is Sir Max Hastings.

3. Source: Hansard, 24.5.05, Col 62W (answer to a Question by John Hayes MP). The overall figures provided are from the Department for Transport. The 'average' cost of constructing a road scheme will vary considerably as a consequence of its route and the geology of the area.

4. There are 16 national Trunk Road and Motorway schemes where the costs have doubled from the original estimate, and five local authority road schemes where the same has occurred. 

5. The deadline for all highway authorities in England (County Council, Metropolitan Borough and Unitary Authorities) to submit their Five Year Local Transport Plans to the Department for Transport is end of July 2005.

6. Writing the Foreword to the Transport White Paper, The Future of Transport 2004, the Prime Minister wrote '...we also recognise that we cannot simply build our way out of the problems we face. It would be environmentally irresponsible — and would not work'.

7. Source: Institute of Civil Engineers and ROSPA Briefing Sheet: Road Safety Engineering: Cost Effective Local Safety Schemes.