Toll you so! Businessman who risked everything to build his own toll road sells his 100,000th ticket
- Mike Watts, 62, opened a 400-yard toll road in Kelston, Somerset in August
- He had faced a 14-mile detour after the closure of a busy commuter route
- A431 between Bath and Bristol had been shut in February due to landslip
- Mr Watts spent £150,000 building road and another £150,000 on its upkeep
- He was concerned he would be left out of pocket if he didn't make £300,000
- But he has already raised two-thirds of the money, by charging £2 per car
As the 100,000th car rolled past his tollbooth this week, Mike Watts probably allowed himself a moment of quiet satisfaction.
It meant that a rather audacious gamble – using his life savings to set up a private road – was well on its way to paying off.
Mr Watts built the 400-yard track through a field in order to spare drivers months of misery while a council repairs a busy commuter route.
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Mike Watts, 62, built a private toll road in Somerset after the A431 Kelston Road - a popular commuter route -was shut in February following a landslip
The toll road in Kelston, Somerset (pictured) - which charges £2 for each car - has now been used by 100,000 vehicles
Two months in, he has welcomed 100,000 motorists, each paying £2 to avoid a 14-mile detour on country lanes and all the stress – and fuel costs – that entails.
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His toll road cost £150,000 to build, with running costs of £150,000, so he is now two-thirds of the way to breaking even. It was built without planning permission, but a retrospective application, which cost £25,000 in surveyors’ fees and ecological reports, is due to be assessed soon.
It has so captured the public imagination that it has become something of a tourist attraction.
But its main success has been helping drivers as the A431 Kelston Road between Bath and Bristol is fixed after a landslip in February.
Bath and North East Somerset council aims to reopen the road by Christmas, and recently spent £660,000 to fast-track the repairs – taking the cost to £2.66million.
Mr Watts, 62, believes they could be complete by mid-November. As part of the planing application, his road must then be dismantled.
The businessman was initially concerned he would be left out of pocket if he did not make £300,000 by the end of the year
The father-of-four, who came up with the idea while in his local pub, sought to recoup the £300,000 cost of building and upkeeping the road by charging £2 per car and £3 per caravan and trailer
But he is feeling fairly confident of recouping his money. ‘It is very much a race against time,’ he said.
‘But we estimate this could be achieved by the beginning of November.
‘I’m absolutely delighted and overwhelmed by the support. I want to thank each and every person who has used the toll road.
‘It really does do what it says on the can – saves people stress, time and driving on the diversion.’
Father-of-four Mr Watts and his wife Wendy, 52, who run party shops in Bath, faced having to sell their cottage if the toll road flopped.
The hilly field is usually home to herds of cows, flocks of sheep or crops but is now occupied by the temporary road - which Mr Watts says has attracted motorists from all over the world
Mr Watts says he has already raised two thirds of the amount required and believes he will be able to cover all his costs by early November
A431 closed: The suggested route after the closure of the Kelston Road was the A4, which took in a 14-mile detour
The father-of-four came up with the idea after a section of the A431 near Bath was closed following a landslide, sparking a 14-mile detour (pictured)
This aerial view showing the Kelston Toll road on the left and the main road on the right. The toll road is the first privately owned to open for more than 100 years
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