§ Mr. Wingfield Digbyasked the Minister of Transport how many schemes for new or improved roundabouts he has approved during the last two years; what was the total cost; and how this compares with approved expenditure for flyovers, which provide a more permanent solution for dealing with heavy traffic at major cross-roads.
§ Mr. MarplesI regret that this information is not readily available for all roads because in many cases roundabouts and flyovers have formed part of larger road improvement schemes and have not been separately coated. For a list of roundabouts under construction on trunk roads in England and Wales I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Bournemouth, West (Mr. Eden) of 22nd June, 1960.
The design of any particular junction, and hence the cost, must depend on such factors as the alignment of the roads, the volume of traffic and the direction of the main turning movements. However, the following figures may be taken as indicative of the relative costs of a flyover and of a roundabout at a major junction on a trunk road in a rural area:
Flyover with slip roads … £110,000 Roundabout … £25,000