M6 EXTENSION GIVEN GO AHEAD DESPITE 280% PRICE INCREASE

Today Dr Stephen Ladyman, Roads Minister, gave the go-ahead to the M6 Extension from Carlisle to Guards Mill [1], despite a whopping 280% cost increase since it was first approved in 2000 [2].

This scheme topped the list of roads schemes suffering cost increases in the government's 'Targeted Programme of Improvements' (TPI) [3]. At first approval in 2000, it was priced at £46 million, but today the scheme has been given the green light at £175 million, an increase of 280% for just 5.4 miles of road.

Currently roads schemes in the TPI, approved since 1998 until April 2003, are experiencing an average of 67% cost escalation.

With road construction costs rising rapidly, and the tender prices and final outturn costs usually significantly higher, the cost of the road could even be much higher than the current price tag. A Freedom of Information request to the Highways Agency in October 2005 showed that the cost of constructing a mile of motorway had risen from £23 million to £28 million in just 6 months [5].

The rising cost of the roads programme has not gone unnoticed by both the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives [6]. Both parties have pointed out that the roads programme is now £1.5 billion over budget.

Adding additional capacity to the M6 will result in extra traffic on feeder roads, and also more pressure for widening other parts of the M6. Currently there is a review of options being conducted into a highly controversial expansion of the 51 mile section between Birmingham and Manchester. An alliance of groups, Group Against Motorway Expansion, GAME, has set up along the whole route [6].

Rebecca Lush of Road Block said:

"Widening motorways to tackle congestion is like digging a ditch in a bog - it will just fill with more traffic. What a hugely expensive mistake to make. The roads programme is now £1.5 billion over budget, with construction costs only forecast to rise further. It is time for the government to stand by its rhetoric on reducing travel and tackling climate change, by scrapping expensive road building and investing in the sustainable alternatives. By giving the go-ahead to the scheme with the biggest cost escalation, the Department for Transport is showing that it is not prepared to tackle cost increases, or rising CO2 emissions."

Notes to Editors:

[1] Announcement on DfT website at
http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_control/documents/contentservertemplate/dft_index.hcst?n=16318&l=5

[2] Lords Written Answers 14 February 2006
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld199900/ldhansrd/pdvn/lds06/text/60214w05.htm#column_WA157

[3] An Excel spreadsheet showing the above cost estimates of road schemes, with highest first can be viewed here
http://www.roadblock.org.uk/press_releases/info/TPI%20and%20local%20schemes%20Dec05.xls

[4] Road construction costs revealed in a Freedom of Information request
http://www.highways.gov.uk/aboutus/documents/2.pdf

[5] Lib Dem press release - 30 Jan 2006
http://www.libdems.org.uk/news/story.html?id=9640&navPage=news.html
Conservative press release - 21 Feb 2006
http://www.conservatives.com/tile.do?def=news.story.page&obj_id=128046

[6] Group Against Motorway Expansion, GAME: http://nom6e.blogspot.com/

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