Future expansion of the UK Motorway Network

[JamesT]

That seems to be at-best half related, the article just talks about overall borrowing costs being related to interest rates - a point which seems unremarkable given the general market trends.


The point we were discussing was if government borrowing to fund infrastructure investment would further increase the interest rates enough to make typically more expensive PFI-type deals more attractive.

These paragraphs would be the most relevant:

It’s because of supply and demand. In general, when supply increases, buyers normally face lower prices. So, higher government borrowing has increased the supply of government debt, which means that the price of bonds falls. Since yields are inversely related to price, yields rise – pushing up the cost that the government has to pay to borrow.

The supply of government debt has been rising, particularly since the budget on October 30. That was when chancellor Rachel Reeves set out a significant amount of borrowing as well as tax increases in order to invest in stimulating growth and balance the books over the course of the parliament.

More borrowing fairly directly pushes up the government interest rates. As the article says, those costs of borrowing have already increased.
As to the tip over point where a PFI becomes actually cheaper, that’s what economists get paid the big bucks to figure out. But it’s a risk that the government has to consider.

 

[The Planner]

I would support new motorways but only if toll-booths were included to pay for them. At present a trucker can take a container from Southampton to Manchester for example without once encountering a demand for payment. So the hauliers undercut the railways and win traffic which would be more efficiently conveyed by rail.

Converting the A34 here in Oxford to a 6-lane motorway would require demolition of swathes housing in Botley (Oxfordshire) when a few extra freight trains might be the solution.

You would bypass Botley to the west and join onto the A420 and swing back prior to Botley interchange.

 

[Baji]

I think the A3 in Surrey between Hook and Guildford could be upgraded to the A3(M).

I know A3(M) junctions 1-5 already exist down south near Havant, so there could be another section (Surrey part).Bit like how A1(M) is not a continuous motorway and has sections, A3(M) could follow that example and also M23 starts with junction 7

Start Hook, Ends at Guildford
Junction 6 Hook A243 (although starting when the hard shoulder is available with 3 lanes might be better or make more sense.
Junction 7- A309 Esher (limited access)
Junction 8- A244 Oxshott
Junction 9- A245 Painshill
Junction 10- M25
Junction 11- Ripley/Wisley (limited acess)
Junction 12- Woking/Send/Clandon (limited acess)
Junction 13- Burpham/Merrow (limited acess)
Junction 14 Guildford

All will have 3 lanes and a hard shoulder in each direction except between junction 9 and 11 it will be 4 lanes in each direction with no hard shoulder and will be an All lane running Smart motorway.

 

[Bald Rick]

I think the A3 in Surrey between Hook and Guildford could be upgraded to the A3(M).

I know A3(M) junctions 1-5 already exist down south near Havant, so there could be another section (Surrey part).Bit like how A1(M) is not a continuous motorway and has sections, A3(M) could follow that example and also M23 starts with junction 7

Start Hook, Ends at Guildford
Junction 6 Hook A243 (although starting when the hard shoulder is available with 3 lanes might be better or make more sense.
Junction 7- A309 Esher (limited access)
Junction 8- A244 Oxshott
Junction 9- A245 Painshill
Junction 10- M25
Junction 11- Ripley/Wisley (limited acess)
Junction 12- Woking/Send/Clandon (limited acess)
Junction 13- Burpham/Merrow (limited acess)
Junction 14 Guildford

All will have 3 lanes and a hard shoulder in each direction except between junction 9 and 11 it will be 4 lanes in each direction with no hard shoulder and will be an All lane running Smart motorway.

To all intents and purposes it is a Motorway. Just not legally. It was, though, very useful for me to get ‘Motorway’ experience with L plates the weekend after my 17th birthday though

 

[Gazimo]

they're very close to espresswaying the whole thing with 1 junction left outside of london and only 2 within it, so solve the one outside london and it will probably be as good as it ever gets then

 

[WibbleWobble]

There was a proposal around 10 years ago for a full Expressway classification which the A3 would have fallen under, a sort of motorway "light". Roads falling into such a bracket would have been suffixed, most likely with "(X)".

 

[William3000]

I think the A3 in Surrey between Hook and Guildford could be upgraded to the A3(M).

I know A3(M) junctions 1-5 already exist down south near Havant, so there could be another section (Surrey part).Bit like how A1(M) is not a continuous motorway and has sections, A3(M) could follow that example and also M23 starts with junction 7

Start Hook, Ends at Guildford
Junction 6 Hook A243 (although starting when the hard shoulder is available with 3 lanes might be better or make more sense.
Junction 7- A309 Esher (limited access)
Junction 8- A244 Oxshott
Junction 9- A245 Painshill
Junction 10- M25
Junction 11- Ripley/Wisley (limited acess)
Junction 12- Woking/Send/Clandon (limited acess)
Junction 13- Burpham/Merrow (limited acess)
Junction 14 Guildford

All will have 3 lanes and a hard shoulder in each direction except between junction 9 and 11 it will be 4 lanes in each direction with no hard shoulder and will be an All lane running Smart motorway.

Why bother - it’s an excellent road as it is.