§ Mr. Fryasked the Minister of Transport what is the latest current cost of a mile of each of the following: dual two-lane motorway, dual three-lane motorway, all purpose dual two-lane carriageway, all purpose dual three-lane carriageway and single carriageway.
§ Mr. FowlerConstruction costs of motorways vary widely, depending on numerous factors including the terrain through which the new roads are constructed, and whether the location is urban or rural.
For inter-urban motorways, for which contracts have been let since 1974, the costs, at June 1980 prices, were
- —in the range of £1.54 million to £6.24 million per mile for dual two-lane motorways with a mean of £2.63 million.
- —in the range of £1.92 million to £9.39 million per mile for dual three-lane motorways with a mean of £3.33 million.
- —in the range of £0.5.2 million to £6.8 million per mile for dual two-lane all-purpose roads with a mean of £2.01 million.
- —in the range of £1.59 million to £2.66 million per mile for dual three-lane all-purpose roads with a mean of £2.32 million.
- —in the range of £0.20 million to £4.07 million for single two-lane roads with a mean of £0.95 million.
Land costs and rehousing costs, which are excluded from these figures, vary widely and can account for 10 per cent. or more of the overall cost of rural schemes. The average construction costs of urban motorways, which pass almost entirely through built-up areas, tend to be between three times more expensive than rural motorways.