Roundabout made with gold?

I'm not an estimator, but I would like to be.

So let's start with a simple real life example.

How the heck does a roundabout and a bit of road and guttering (Peninsula News, December 12) cost $3 million?

It's not a fancy roundabout or even a particularly attractive one.

It doesn't even have little garden on the inside to cheer us up.

There's nothing like a bit of urban landscaping, but heck this is the Peninsula, we pay our exorbitant rates and then get what we're given ... or not.

And it's not a lot of road or a lot of guttering.

Yes it has taken about six months, but mostly there was nobody there doing anything and I drive past it about every second day.

I reckon that there were workers there for about 10-15 days maximum.

I would really love to know how the money was spent because from where I sit this makes the BER scheme look like a well oiled machine and right now I reckon it would be a good investment to pop down to Campbell's for a pickaxe to dig up the gold reinforcing rods.

Email, 12 Dec 2011 Lizz Higgins, Phegans Bay