Why do roads cost so much to improve?
A mile of new two lane rural road costs about 2 to 3 million dollars due to material costs and construction standards. Urban roads are 3 to 5 million dollars a mile. Each year, the county has about 30 million dollars available for road improvements. In addition to road construction standards, relatively new laws which regulate noise, stormwater run off, wetlands, habitat protection and, perhaps, endangered species, raise the cost of construction 20 to 50% above normal costs for both public and private road improvements.
