APPROXIMATE COSTINGS FOR THE PHASES OF A COMPLETE MAIDSTONE SOUTHERN LINK ROAD
Average cost per mile = £28 million (this figure includes contingencies)
2.20 miles phase 1, D2 from M20 to A274 = £61.6M (The Southern Relief Road)
3.45 miles phase 2, D2 from A274 to A229 = £96.6M
3.48 miles phase 3, D2 from A229 to A26 = £97.44M
2.7 miles phase 4, D2 from A26 to A228 = £75.6M
0.49 miles phase 4a, Bridge over M20 and single 2 lane carriageway southbound to A228 = £13.72M (Bridge plus £60M)
0.62 miles phase 4b, Extra single lane carriageway along north-side of A228 to northbound M20 = £17.36M
TOTAL OF 12.94 MILES
Total Cost estimated = £422.32 million
PRIVATE INVESTORS WOULD SEE A SUB £100 MILLION PROJECT AS NOT ENTICING ENOUGH BUT WOULD BE QUEUING UP TO INVEST IN A COMPLETE SOUTHERN LINK ROAD WITH REALISTIC RETURNS
(A total debt equivalence of £1,979 per person in Kent for the entire project without Private Investment equates to 0.27p a day for a period of 20 years, but will give benefit to us all for many generations to come)
When taken in context, the total costs of a complete Maidstone Southern Link, measured against the cost of other major infrastructure projects in the country, are small in comparison….but the raft of benefits vs costs that a complete Road would provide for the whole of Kent far outweigh, in my opinion, any other recent or proposed major infrastructure project: (see below for comparison).
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The projected cost of HS2 according to The Institute of Economic Affairs estimates that the final cost will be over £80 billion and has benefits of saving travellers just minutes on a journey from London to Birmingham and beyond. The benefits are supposed to soften the the fact of hundreds of acres of greenfield ploughed through.
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Lower Thames crossing estimated at £6billion +, has many benefits for the region as a whole.
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Lincoln Eastern bypass, (when the city already had a western bypass (A46)) at a cost of £99million of which £50million was provided by the Government.
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£200million for a proposed Ipswich northern bypass.
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£100million for a dual carriageway bypass from Skippool to Windy Harbour along the A585 (please search Google Maps for this particular one) as part of the Government’s £15 billion Road Investment Strategy (RIS).
M.A.G.I.C. was founded by Cllr Paul Wooding to reinvigorate the stagnating debate regarding all of Maidstone’s road infrastructure condition and state.