New road schemes now cost £1.3bn more than anticipated

The cost of new road schemes has increased by an extra £1.3bn, according to government figures researched by the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE).

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 now doubled on original estimates.

Costs for 96 national and local road schemes have increased since first approved, with the bill for 39 national road proposals going up by an extra £1.3bn.

CPRE also claims that constructing just one mile of motorway costs on average £23m, and a mile of dual carriageway £12m.

In a further breakdown the figures reveal that:

• Of the 80 national road schemes listed, costs have risen in over half of them, and reduced in only two cases.
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• Of the 71 local road schemes listed, costs have risen in 77% of cases and reduced in only two cases.
  
• Widening the M25 between Junctions 12-15 has increased from £94m to £120m since approved in 1998.
  
• Costs on the A57/A628 Mottram-Tintwistle Bypass have increased by £13m since it was approved in April 2003.
  
• Costs on the A2 Bean-Cobham Phase 2 have more than doubled from £35m when first approved in July 1998, to the current estimate of £101m. 

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. 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.”