§ Mr. Snapeasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will estimate the current cost of constructing one mile of three-lane motorway and the cost of electrifying at 25kv one mile of existing double-track railway.
§ Mr. CarmichaelThe cost of motorway construction depends on a number of factors including the complexity of the scheme, the nature of the ground and the variability in tender prices, but at present the average cost of constructing a dual three-lane rural motorway is about £1.4 million per mile. The cost of railway electrification also varies substantially according to the nature of the terrain and the number of bridges and tunnels, but in this case an average cost figure would not be meaningful because of the small number of recent schemes.