UK’s ‘first private toll road in a century’ being investigated

What is thought to be the first private road in the UK for 100 years has been opened by a businessman in a bid to avoid the hour-long diversion around road works on the key route between the cities of Bristol and Bath, south-west England.
August 5, 2014 Read time: 2 mins

What is thought to be the first private road in the UK for 100 years has been opened by a businessman in a bid to avoid the hour-long diversion around road works on the key route between the cities of Bristol and Bath, south-west England.

Mike Watts spent £150,000 (US$250,000) to build the 400m gravel road in just three days to enable traffic to negotiate the A431 Kelston Road, which has been closed since February because of a landslide. He estimates it will cost another £150,000 to run the toll road for five months.

With motorists paying £2 each ($3.40) way to use the road, it will need to attract 1,000 cars a day if it is to break even.

Watts told newspapers: “Building a toll road isn’t easy to do: this is the first private road in Britain for 100 years. I think people are very grateful that we have taken this risk.”

However, Bath and North East Somerset Council predict the section of the A431 will be open again by Christmas, and has launched an investigation into the toll road, claiming it does not have planning permission and could be dangerous.

“This remains an active landslide, which could move without warning. In the absence of any information from the toll road promoters the council has concerns about the impact of traffic loading on the land above the slip,” said the council in a statement.

“The council is not in a position to support the temporary road option as we have not been provided with any evidence/information to support the application. A temporary toll road requires planning permission and no application has been received.

“In view of public concerns the council’s planning enforcement team is currently investigating this matter. The council has no details to confirm the toll road design meets safety standards and no evidence that insurances are in place for any member of the public who use the private toll road.”

The council added that it had considered a bypass road on the south side of the closure, where it would not increase loading above the landslip, but this was not viable.

Related Content

  • Germany plans replacement for A40 Neuenkamp Duisburg Bridge
    March 6, 2018
    Germany’s motorway authority has unveiled plans for an 802m cable stayed replacement bridge taking the A40 over the Rhine River near Duisburg. The state owned authority Deges - Deutsche Einheit Fernstraßenplanungs- und -bau - will oversee the project that includes an eight-lane expansion of the A40, all in the industrial Rhur region.
    Read More
  • Golden opportunities in the MINT - Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria, Turkey
    May 21, 2015
    Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria, Turkey – Global Report offers up some food for thought about where smart money might be headed within the next several years – David Arminas writes China’s rate of growth may be slowing down, but other South East Asian companies are being quick to offer alternate investment opportunities, notably Indonesia. Nigeria, too, has had issues with security of investment. But there are signs that the government may be getting serious at last about tightening up rules and regulation
    Read More
  • FOI request reveals “shocking” amount of uninsured UK drivers
    July 30, 2013
    One in every 100 people in the UK with a full driving licence has points for driving uninsured, according to a “shocking” Freedom of Information (FOI) request by the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists). For all ages the request, directed to the DVLA, revealed that one in every 200 people with a full UK driving licence had been penalised for driving without insurance. A total of 226,803 drivers in the UK were said under FOI to have points on their licence for driving while uninsured.
    Read More
  • The UK’s first PFI road project opens
    May 18, 2012
    A new bypass around Carlisle in North West England has opened to the public two months ahead of schedule. The Carlisle Northern Development Route (CNDR) starts from the Wigton Road (A595) to the south west of Carlisle, follows a route around the west of the city crossing the River Eden on a new bridge near Stainton and the West Coast Main Line on a new two-lane bridge constructed at Kingmoor. The road layout allows easier access to West Cumbria from the roundabout at Junction 44 of the M6 rather than havin
    Read More

Highlighted Content