Anger as cost of relief road soars

8:25am Wednesday 20th August 2008

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WEYMOUTH'S long-awaited relief road has come under fire from campaigners angered by spiralling costs.

The Campaign for Better Transport (CBT) pressure group, formerly called Transport 2000, claimed the cost of the controversial scheme had leapt by 46 per cent since it was introduced in December 2003.

The route's £84 million price tag puts it fifth in the CBT's table of the most expensive local authority roads.

But Dorset County Council highways chief Andy Ackerman said the increase was simply down to uncontrollable external factors.

South Dorset MP Jim Knight blamed campaigners delaying the initiative for the rising costs. The fresh attack on the road comes as supporters await the result of a public inquiry into the scheme.

The CBT said the cost of the Weymouth proposal had soared from £55 million when it was first tabled nearly five years ago.

It also revealed the total cost of the routes included in the Government's road-building programme had increased to more than £8 billion.

CBT roads and climate campaigner Richard George said: "The Government has consistently failed to keep the spiralling cost of road building under control.

"It cannot expect the taxpayer to pick up a £8.12 billion bill for a collection of expensive white elephants that will increase traffic, pollution and carbon emissions."

But Mr Ackerman said the £29 million increase in the price of the Weymouth Relief Road was down to rising construction costs.

He said: "The rise can be accounted for by inflation, which has been running very high.

"It's factors out of anyone's control such as steel prices and oil prices, which have gone up very quickly.

"The fact the process has been slowed has also added to the cost. If we'd started building the road last year it would have cost £4 million less."

Mr Ackerman said some design aspects of the route had been honed' during the public inquiry process but that minor alterations were not to blame for the rise. He said Dorset County Council was still very confident' of getting a positive decision on the road and starting initial work soon.

"We're very proud of the scheme we've come up with," he added.

"It's one which will really add value environmentally, as well as in transport terms."

Mr Knight hit out at the CBT for complaining about rising costs.

He said: "It's the constant drip feed of frivolous challenges coming in from such organisations that's delaying a decision on the road.

"Delay increases the cost because of inflation.

"If they're worried about rising costs why don't they just let local people have their way and let us build this road."