Upgrade to A38 will cost £400m more than planned, say campaigners

SHOCK figures show the cost of upgrading the A38 through Derby at three key junctions is likely to cost in the region of £650million a hike of more than £400million on the original 2019 forecast.

- ZENA HAWLEY

Campaigners opposed to the plan, which includes flyovers and underpasses at three islands - Kingsway, Markeaton and Little Eaton - and the road widened from four to six lanes, say the figure has been confirmed by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) through National Highways data.

When the Derby Telegraph presented the amounts to the Department for Transport, they were not denied.

In July, the Stop the A38 Expansion campaign group vowed to fight on despite the Government giving the controversial project the go-ahead.

The group has been campaigning against the upgrades for years and successfully forced the scheme to stop a few years ago.

The project has been clouded with uncertainty over climate and economic concerns and has been taken to court on two occasions.

The campaign group has condemned the Government's decision to push ahead with the road expansion with the price tag so high and has called for the immediate cancellation of the project and the reallocation of funding to the Midland Mainline electrification, which they say will deliver greater economic, environmental and public benefits.

They have also demanded that the full and updated business case for the A38 be made public before any vegetation clearance or construction is allowed to proceed.

The group points to the cancellation of the proposed Al Morpeth-Ellingham upgrade by the Government in January 2025, which was due to cost £500million, for being "poor value for money" and "unfunded".

National Highways refused to disclose to the public what cost figures it gave to ministers during the recent decision-making process which led to the A38 project being given the go-ahead.