The operator of the M6 Toll has hit back at claims the private road is a ‘costly failure’.

Campaign for Better Transport concluded in a report last week (Surveyor e-newsletter 3 September 2010) that the 27-mile motorway had failed to provide any significant congestion relief for the original M6 and has proved poor value for money.

But Tom Fanning, CEO of M6 Toll – Midland Expressway Limited, said: ‘The M6 Toll is a reliable, congestion-free route through the West Midlands, used by more than 44,000 vehicles daily, giving drivers significant time savings.

‘The M6 Toll is a long-term, 50-year investment. The road cost almost £1bn to plan and build, at no cost to the Government and our long-term investment approach takes into account these significant up-front costs.’