§ Mr. David MarshallTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the cost per mile for(a) porous asphalt road surface material and (b) concrete surfaces for (i) single carriageway road, (ii) two lane dual carriageway roads, (iii) three lane dual carriageway roads and (iv) four lane carriageway roads.
§ Mr. Robert Key[pursuant to his reply, 7 March 1994, c. 1]: The cost information is as follows:
It should be noted that these costs are not comparable since the porous asphalt is basically a surfacing material and contributes little to the overall strength of the road whilst the concrete surfaced road provides both a running surface and the main vehicle carrying system. Because the use of porous asphalt has only recently been permitted on trunk roads, there is not a lot of cost data on which to base estimates for its use at the moment so the estimated costs given can only be taken as indicative. The concrete costs should also be regarded as indicative since they will vary according to site and choice of pavement design.
Approximate cost/mile Porous asphalt £ Typical concrete road £ Single carriageway 90,000 450,000 2 lane dual—all purpose 180,000 900,000 —motorway 220,000 1,100,000 3 lane dual—all purpose 250,000 1,260,000 —motorway 275,000 1,380,000 4 lane dual—all purpose — — —motorway 345,000 1,750,000