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‘Cost of bypass set to double to £184m’
Tom Rowley28/ 3/2007
GREEN campaigners say a doubling in the cost of the proposed Mottram-Tintwistle bypass is good enough reason to scrap it altogether.
Latest estimates put the bill at £184m.
When the scheme was first approved in April 2003, the cost was estimated at £90m.
Save Swallows Wood and other green groups say rising costs - revealed in a Department of Transport review - should prompt a re-think.
An inquiry, expected in May or June, could cost up to £2m.
According to environmentalists, the bypass - which would go through Swallows Wood nature reserve and the Peak Park - would increase traffic by 40 per cent in the park and raise CO2 levels by nine per cent.
Save Swallows Wood spokeswoman Emma Lawrence said £184m was a huge amount of money for a scheme to relieve congestion from three villages.
"Overall traffic levels in the valley would rise by 30 per cent, bringing with it health and safety risks for all residents. For this amount of money more sustainable initiatives could be implemented that would benefit communities in Glossop, Longdendale and South Yorkshire.
"It is time for the government to put its money where its mouth is and look beyond the outdated road building programme, by funding alternatives that do not damage the natural environment, encourage car use, and exacerbate climate change."
Anne Robinson, of the Friends of the Peak District, said revisions to bypass plans to provide traffic lights and 40-50mph speed limits along the trunk route between Tintwistle and the M1 would improve safety and reduce traffic flows.
A Highways Agency spokesman said: "The report does not say schemes are costing more than they should do. The report acknowledges that robust estimating is a challenging task given the timescale of major road projects."
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24/05/2007 at 19:15