Motorways and Urban Mobility - International Road Federation

11
URBAN PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS
The M6 Toll is a 42 km dual three-lane motorway
bypass of the M6, just north of Birmingham in
the United Kingdom. The contract is for a 53-year
concession, awarded by the national Highways
Agency to Midland Expressway Limited for obtaining
planning approval, designing, building, financing and
operating the road.
The M6 Toll offers road users distinct quality of
services compared to alternative routes: it notably
ensures better maintenance, improved signing, travel
time savings and freer traffic flow.
3. Socio-economic benefits materialising sooner
On the basis of some of the case studies, it is clear that
without the involvement of private finance, socio-economic
benefits, such as travel time savings and increased safety
records, would simply not have materialised within a
reasonable time span, if at all, as there were no public
budgets available.
The Melbourne CityLink in Australia is another
example of accelerating much needed investment
| IRF BULLETIN SPECIAL EDITION: URBAN MOBILITY
in road infrastructure. The Link refers to a 22 km
motorway connecting 3 major freeways in the
Melbourne conurbation and divided into 8 tolling
zones, where tolls are collected electronically. The
State of Victoria assigned a 34-year concession to
City Link Melbourne Ltd., and the project has since
contributed to an increase in GDP levels. Indeed, the
estimated economic growth attributable to the project
is AUS$ 300 Million. The north-western suburbs
of Melbourne have benefited through improved
accessibility and a quicker development pace, while
users have been able to enjoy reduced travel times
and increased travel time certainty.
4. Innovation
Road projects in an urban context tend to face more
constraints, especially in terms of available space. This
obliges contractors to come up with innovative solutions.
A partnership approach is better adapted to encouraging
and facilitating such innovation due its level of service
orientation.
In the case of the A86 West toll concession project
near Paris, the French state opted for an underground
route in order to protect forests, historical heritage
and inhabited areas. Cofiroute, the contractor, came
up with an imaginative solution, consisting of two
superimposed independent carriageways in a single
tunnel tube, with each “floor” carrying one-way
traffic. The tunnel is reserved for use by light vehicles
with a maximum height of 2 metres.