Andrew Jones

8 COMPANIES & CONTRACTS
OCTOBER 2015
www.highwaysmagazine.co.uk
by Steve Menary
JV wins £292m A14
upgrade scheme
A joint venture between
Balfour Beatty and Carillion
has scooped a major package
of works valued at £292
million on the £1.5 billion A14
Cambridge to Huntingdon
Improvement Scheme.
This summer, Highways England
was forced to retender this
package, which comprises the
third phase between Swavesey
and Milton, due to concerns over
contractors’ ability to meet some
long-term targets.
Balfour Beatty chief executive
Leo Quinn said: “This is a complex
project and our joint venture
brings proven expertise and
experience in working as part of
an integrated delivery model –
something which is going to be
crucial for the successful delivery
of this project.
“The improvements the scheme
will deliver will help to relieve
congestion on one of the
busiest parts of the strategic
road network between the
Midlands and East Anglia and
support national and regional
economic growth.”
Main construction work is due to
start in late 2016. A new bypass
and widened A14 are expected
to open to traffic in 2020 but the
wider Cambridge to Huntingdon
improvement scheme is subject to
statutory approval.
The overall scheme is being built
by an integrated delivery team
featuring Highways England
staff, external design teams and
contractors with appointments so
far all going to joint ventures.
In June, a JV between Costain
and Skanska landed two of the
other main construction packages,
which together have an aggregate
value of £600m.
Costain/Skanska won package one
for the A1 junction at Alconbury
to the East Coast Mainline and
package two covering east of the
East Coast Mainline to Swavesey,
while a separate detailed design
contract valued at £35.5m has
been won by a JV between Atkins
and CH2M.
The fourth main construction
package, which comprises
demolishing a viaduct over the
East Coast Mainline at Huntingdon,
will go out to tender in 2019.
The project is the first to be
awarded under Highways
England’s Construction Delivery
Framework and covers a total
of 25 miles of often highly
congested road.
Consultants win £1.5m
Northern roads study
Arup and WSP Parsons
Brinckerhoff have landed
commissions worth £1.5m from
Highways England to carry out
transport studies in Cumbria
and Lancashire that could lead
to major new roads projects.
Arup’s commission is the larger
of the two and worth £1m. The
research will consider improving
the transport network to the north
of Manchester, including the M60
from junctions eight to 18 and the
M62 from junctions 9 to 12.
WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff is lead
consultant on a £500,000 study
aimed at strengthening road
links between the A66 and the
A69, which respectively connect
Scotch Corner to Penrith and
Newcastle to Carlisle.
Highways England’s divisional
director of strategic planning,
Nigel Edwards, said: “This study
could lead to major benefits
across the North. A new dual
carriageway, providing a direct
link between Cumbria and
the North East, would mean
businesses would no longer
have to rely solely on the M62
to travel quickly between the
two regions.”
Parsons Brinckerhoff will work
on the study with a joint-venture
between consultants CH2M/TRL
and Steer Davies Gleave (SDG).
Contracts round-up
Wiltshire Council has terminated its £150m
highways maintenance contract with Balfour
Beatty two years early and re-tendered the deal.
Balfour Beatty Living Places beat Colas, Ringway
and May Gurney to the original job back in 2013
but after a review from the council’s scrutiny
committee, the contract will be terminated by
April 2016. Subcontractor agreements will be
transferred to the council on a phased basis over
the next six months to minimise disruption.
Farrans and Graham are among the contractors
expected to return bids by a deadline of 2
October for a £17m scheme to build the Caithkin
Relief Road at Rutherglen in Cambuslang for
South Lanarkshire Council. Work comprises a
1.5km stretch of single lane carriageway between
the junctions of Burnside Road and the junctions
of Blairbeth Road, Croftfoot Road, Fernhill Road
and Mill Street. Work will take a year but is not
expected to start until 2017.
Kier and a joint venture between Colas and
Volker Fitzpatrick are amongst the bidders for
places on a highways infrastructure design and
build framework for West Sussex County Council
that could see spending of more than £200m
between next year and 2022. Bids have been
submitted but the agreement is not expected to
start until the end of next year.
Dowhigh and Oldham-based outfit Westshield
are expected to return tenders for a £500,000
package of junction improvements at Waterloo
on Merseyside for Sefton Council. The job, which
is expected to start on site early next year,
comprises widening the layout at the junction of
Crosby Road North and Haigh Road and will take
around three months to complete.
Whitemountain has taken a £2.3m project for the
DRD Roads Department to widen the Falls Road
in Belfast as part of the Belfast Rapid Transit
(BRT) scheme. The company has the package
for lot one to widen the section from Grosvenor
Road to Whiterock Road. This long running BRT
will involve three routes linking Dundonald in east
Belfast, the proposed Colin town centre in west
Belfast and Titanic Quarter via the city centre.
The DRD has also pledged to spend £20m on a
fleet of 40 new buses.
A joint venture between Lagan Construction and
John Sisk starts in the spring on a £40m upgrade
to the A19/A1058 Coast Road interchange in
North Tyneside. Last month (September), the
JV was confirmed as having beaten a host of
other contractors including Galliford Try to the
contract. Work comprises upgrading an existing
grade separated roundabout to a three level
interchange and placing the A19 in an open cut
underpass. Consultant WSP designed the work,
which will take 27 months to complete.
Dowhigh has pipped I&H Brown and Liverpool
fi r m King Construction to a £1.5m scheme to
replace a multi-armed junction linking Admin
Road, South Boundary Road and Gale Road at
Knowsley Industrial Park with a roundabout. A
start on site will be made in January 2016 and
Dowhigh will have eight months to complete the
job. Mouchel will supervise work for the client,
Knowsley Borough Metropolitan Council.