Tuesday 31st July 2007

M6 road widening scheme costs £1,000 an inch

And guess who's footing the bill?

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How much do you reckon widening one metre of the M6 will cost taxpayers? One-thousand

M6 is one of Britain's most congested motorways

pounds? Five-thousand pounds? Nope, try thirty-five thousand pounds – that’s almost a grand an inch. 

A 51-mile road widening scheme that is taking place along the M6 between Birmingham and Manchester is expected to take three years to complete and cost £2.9billion, according to the Highways Agency.

This astronomical figure would make it Britain’s most expensive piece of asphalt. Engineers involved are attributing the soaring costs on inflation, working around traffic by incorporating night shifts and widening dozens of bridges and culverts.

Anyone that has the pleasure of commuting along this section of the M6 will know that this road-widening scheme is absolutely necessary. The Highways Agency reckons traffic has increased along here by 12 per cent in ten years.

In order to cut costs on future road-widening projects, the government is now proposing to convert motorway hard shoulders into additional traffic lanes. An 11-mile stretch along the M42 near Birmingham is already being trial-tested. Sounds like a dangerous cost-cutting initiative to us.

[havoc]

Has anyone managed to get similar costs for say France, Germany or the USA?!?

Because someone, somewhere, has got to be making an absolute killing off the taxpayer...

[Dangly]

Bit of driver education would help – Get the middle lane morons off the roads! I’d like to see the Police/High ways pulling people out the middle lane.

Lanes 2+3 overtaking – Do it move back to lane 1.

[v6ter]

In addition to labour costs and raw materials there is also one COSTLY area.

Compulsory purchase of Houses, Buildings and Land to make way for the widening scheme.

Not to mention claims from businesses effected by traffic congestion, disruption and relocation costs.

It may be even more!

[Skipppy]

havoc said:

Has anyone managed to get similar costs for say France, Germany or the USA?!?

Because someone, somewhere, has got to be making an absolute killing off the taxpayer...

Thats probably a premliminary estimation too... Just look at the olympics. Eventually it will cost 3 times as much and take twice as long!

[skint_driver]

It's easy to see why the costs are so high...

[Gold]

[350Matt]

What about making the m6 toll road free instead? at the estimated 2.6 billion this is suposed to cost that should pay for it a for a few years....

Matt

[mat205125]

Dangly said:

Bit of driver education would help – Get the middle lane morons off the roads! I’d like to see the Police/High ways pulling people out the middle lane.

Lanes 2+3 overtaking – Do it move back to lane 1.

You've hit the nail on the head, and identified the true cause of the majority of the congestion I encounter each day.

You forget one thing though. You cannot inforce that with cameras, it would not be as lucrative as cameras, and the lodge members who own the contracts for the widening wouldn't get a penny.

[Calorus]

350Matt said:

What about making the m6 toll road free instead? at the estimated 2.6 billion this is suposed to cost that should pay for it a for a few years....

Matt

No. I very rarely have to go to that neck of the woods (thankfully) and the M6 Toll is the only way I could consider it without importing a Hummer and an inch thick cow catcher.

[nemeton]

£1k/inch - I doubt it. Once the SPECS speed cameras have been strategically positioned along the road works, im sure it wont cost the tax payer a penny as the drivers using the road during this time will be coughing up by way of the speeding fines. The tax payer may even see a tidy profit..

[Ed.]

I wonder how many soon to be leaving ministers are up for a golden handshake directorship?...

[keith2007]

One more reason for us to moan about paying taxes. I wouldn't complain if my wages were given to the NHS but clearly they're not.

[don logan]

I`m so excited at the prospect of breaking down when it`s particularly busy and there is no hard shoulder.
NO NO NO NO NO NO!!!

[cj_eds]

don logan said:

I`m so excited at the prospect of breaking down when it`s particularly busy and there is no hard shoulder.
NO NO NO NO NO NO!!!

Anyone can look at the A14 for the consequences of no hard shoulder and the aftermatch of even the slightest accident. Could only be viable if they make it active lane management, complete with monitoring cameras. Isn't that utopia? You can't move on the motorway without it being logged, taxed and fined. You could even use the cameras for a pay-per-mile tax scheme. Cameras - is there anything they can't do .

[xjs_man]

And how much does every second that this God-forsken road is gridlocked cost the taxpayer?

Sounds like a good investment.

[Kubica]

v6ter said:

In addition to labour costs and raw materials there is also one COSTLY area.

Compulsory purchase of Houses, Buildings and Land to make way for the widening scheme.

Not to mention claims from businesses effected by traffic congestion, disruption and relocation costs.

It may be even more!

Only when building a new road from scratch. I don't drive that part of the M6 very often but have never seen any buildings right up against the hard shoulder.

[FWDRacer]

Dangly said:

Bit of driver education would help – Get the middle lane morons off the roads! I’d like to see the Police/High ways pulling people out the middle lane.

Lanes 2+3 overtaking – Do it move back to lane 1.

You Sir... Have hit the nail firmly on the Head.

Unfortunatly the police engaging actively in the disruption of middle lane morons progress will mean the poor old BiB have to do some work. Surely an unneccesssary inconvenience when they can hit there arrest quota and top up the treasury's coffer with Scammeras.

[v6ter]

Kubica said:

Only when building a new road from scratch. I don't drive that part of the M6 very often but have never seen any buildings right up against the hard shoulder.

Not true, many road widening schemes require CPOs, regardless though I am sure local businesses will find away of issuing disturbance claims.

CPOs relate to land also - almost all widening schemes require land.

I would like to say though, whatever the cost it needs to be done.....fast

[Andy JB]

Don't we already have an M6 relief road ????????

Always empty, too expensive and wrongly funded. Furious about the Gov't environmental claptrap look at the lost business, pollution, personal stress for years of motorists who endure this national disgrace when there is a perfectly useable relief road no one uses because it was privately funded.

What do they spend motoring taxation on to decide to privately fund a relief road which is underused while the M6 around Birmingham is an absolute nightmare and the single source of frustration. Why build another lane to get congested when the solution exists?

Open it up during rush hours.

....and breath

[kambites]

I think the M6 toll is fabulous, personally. It costs bugger all to use and is completely empty.