Vol. 416 No. 1
135 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for the Environment if he will give details of the average estimated cost of (1) a motorway class road per kilometre and (2) a bypass route per kilometre; if he will outline the expenditure in these two areas for each of the past three years; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
My Department has used the following average construction costs (1988 prices) for projects on national roads where specific estimates were not available: motorways — £3 million per km.; dual carriageway roads — £2 million per km.; single carriageway roads — £1 million per km.
Bypass routes can comprise a motorway, a dual carriageway, or a single carriageway road, or a combination of these. Unit costs depend on a number of factors, including topography, type of soil, and the number of bridges and underpasses involved. Because of variable factors such as these, the average figures quoted would not necessarily apply to any particular scheme.
Expenditure on different types of roads for each of the past three years was as follows:
|
1989 |
1990 |
1991 |
|
|
£m |
£m |
£m |
|
|
Motorways |
18.948 |
26.016 |
39.423 |
|
Dual Carriageway By-Passes |
32.133 |
31.766 |
32.226 |
|
Single Carriageway By-Passes |
6.183 |
6.527 |
5.799 |
