Highways England has appointed six joint-venture companies to design and build around £1.5bn worth of smart motorway projects.
The schemes will convert the hard shoulder into traffic lanes and use signing and technology to manage speeds and traffic flow, and to warn drivers if lanes are blocked or closed up ahead.
The construction contractors appointed are Balfour Beatty and VINCI joint venture, Costain and Galliford Try joint venture, and Carillion and Kier joint venture. The designers are CHM2 and Hyder joint venture, Amey and Arup joint venture, and Jacobs and Atkins joint venture.
This announcement marks the second major procurement award under the company’s Collaborative Delivery Framework (CDF), following awards on the £1.5bn A14 improvement in East Anglia last month, first revealed by Transport Network.
Roads minister, Andrew Jones, said: ‘As part of our long-term economic plan, we are investing more than £1.5bn over the next five years in upgrading congested sections of motorway. This means better journeys for millions of people across the country, easier access to jobs, and stronger links between towns and cities. This is good for the economy and good for Britain.’
Highways England smart motorway programme director, Andy Watson, said: ‘We have awarded these contracts to the companies who demonstrated to us they will work together, across all the projects, not just the ones they have been awarded. They proved they are driven to get the best results on price, quality and on reducing impact on road users: keeping the motorways flowing while they construct these vital improvements.’
Winners and projects:
- Balfour Beatty and VINCI joint venture: work the M5 J4a to J6 smart motorway in Worcestershire, starting this autumn at a value of £45.4 million. Two future schemes: the M6 J2 to J4 in the Midlands, expected to start work in 2017/18, and the M4 J3 to 12 in London and Berkshire due to start work in 2016/17, at an estimated combined value of up to £562 million.
- CHM2 and Hyder joint venture have been appointed as the designers for these two future schemes, valued between £25 to £30 million.
- Costain and Galliford Try joint venture: the M1 J19 to J16 smart motorway in Northamptonshire, starting this autumn at a value of £65.39m: the M1 J24 to J25 in the East Midlands, and the M1 J13 to 16 in Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire, both expected to start work in 2016/17, at an estimated combined value of up to £302.3m.
- Amey and Arup joint venture are the designers for these two future schemes, valued between £20m to £25m.
- Carillion and Kier joint venture: the M6 J16 to J19 smart motorway in Staffordshire and Cheshire, starting this autumn at a value of £129.5m: the M6 J13 to J15 in Staffordshire, the M20 J3 to J5 in Kent, and the M23 J8 to J10 in Surrey and West Sussex, all expected to start work 2017/18, at an estimated combined value of up to £345m.
- Jacobs and Atkins joint venture are the designers of these three future schemes, valued between £20 to £25m.
Surveyor's Highway Management conference will take place on September 23rd and 24th in Manchester. To register go to: www.highway.surveyorevents.com
