Cheap roads are nasty
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THERE IS nothing so expensive as a cheap road, the Federation of Civil Engineering Contractors told the Commons transport committee.
In its verbal evidence to the committee for its road maintenance inquiry, it said it deplored any move to downgrade motorway projects to all-purpose roads, and said that such a move for the M40 Oxford-Birmingham route would be a "tragedy".
It said that lorry loads, rather than their speeds, appeared to cause additional wear to road surfaces, but said that the 38tonner should cause less damage to surfaces than the 32.5-tonner, as it has an extra axle.
The Federation, which represents 500 contractors, said that thicker surfaces would lead to longer lives for new roads, yet would add only about 3.5 per cent to the cost of a rural motorway.