§ Mr. Nicholas Bakerasked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will state the current average cost of constructing tunnelled roads as opposed to surface bypasses, taking into account the loss of land involved in construction of bypasses.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyI regret that this information is not available. Tunnelling costs vary widely depending on geological and other local factors and there is no meaningful average cost. As a general rule, taking account of land and other costs, " "cut and cover" tunnel will be significantly more expensive than a surface scheme and a bored tunnel will be the most costly.