This Man Opened His Own Toll Road To Get Around A Year-Long Closure

Following the part closure of the busy A431 since February this year, Somerset businessman Mike Watts decided to take action by opening his very own road around the closure.

The Kelston private toll road was built by Watts after he employed his own road surfacing workforce. The 400-metre road sits parallel to the A431, which was closed earlier this year due to a landslide.

Car and van drivers can use the toll road for £2 (£1 for motorbikes) or face a ten-mile detour, which will cost motorists lost time and fuel money. Cyclists are not allowed on the Kelston toll.

The road, which was opened last weekend, cost Watts £150,000 to build and it’s estimated to cost him a further £150,000 to maintain. To break even - and to cover the costs of toll booth employees and CCTV - Watts needs 1000 cars to pass over his toll road each day until the A431 is reopened at the end of the year. In total, the A431 would have been closed for 11 months.

The local council is up in arms about the new stretch of road due to a lack of planning permission (the Kelston toll was built through nearby fields), as well as concerns over the road’s safety, including the danger of another landslide.

Despite this, road users are paying for the privilege of using the toll. If you were given the choice between paying £2 or facing an extra 10 miles, which would you choose?