Balfour Beatty today announces that it has been awarded a £63 million contract on behalf of Highways England to develop, design and deliver critical dual carriageway upgrades on the A19 between Norton and Wynyard in the North East of England.
Forming a key part of the Government’s Road Investment Strategy and supporting Balfour Beatty’s commitment to leaving a positive legacy wherever it operates, works will include the transformation of a five-kilometer stretch of the A19 - increasing capacity from two to three lanes whilst utilising noise-reducing concrete to diminish noise-pollution in the region.
Throughout the project’s duration, Balfour Beatty will significantly contribute to the local economy and community, engaging with local small and medium size businesses for all drainage, kerbing and fencing works whilst also offering 18 paid and unpaid work experience placements.
Phil Clifton, Managing Director of Balfour Beatty’s Highways business, said: “This vital project is critical to the Government’s initiative for growth in the North East of England.
“We are delighted to be able to provide the road-user with a more sustainable road network which will ease congestion and improve journey times as well as working with the local community to give back to the areas in which we operate.”
Highways England project manager Keith Bradley said: “Drivers who use this busy route have had to put up with congestion, particularly during rush hour, while the road surface has caused a noise issue for people living nearby.
“Our improvements address the unreliable journey times and the noise, and allow us to support the Tees Valley economy, ahead of proposed employment and housing developments in the area.”
Works are due to commence in Spring 2020 and are scheduled for completion in Spring 2022. At construction peak, Balfour Beatty will employ a workforce of 150 of which 10% will be from the local area as well as offering six apprenticeship positions.
ENDS
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Notes to editors:
- Balfour Beatty (balfourbeatty.com) is a leading international infrastructure group. With 26,000 employees, we provide innovative and efficient infrastructure that underpins our daily lives, supports communities and enables economic growth. We finance, develop, build and maintain complex infrastructure such as transportation, power and utility systems, social and commercial buildings.
- Our main geographies are the UK, US and Hong Kong. Over the last 110 years we have created iconic buildings and infrastructure all over the world including the London Olympics’ Aquatic Centre, Hong Kong’s first Zero Carbon building, the National Museum of the Marine Corps in the US and the Channel Tunnel Rail Link.
- Balfour Beatty’s highways business designs, constructs and manages many of the UK’s major highways. The business also delivers complex Design Build Finance Operate and Early Contractor Involvement schemes.
- Through constant innovation and the use of cutting-edge technology, Balfour Beatty supports clients to deliver optimal highways experiences to the travelling public, better connecting communities and creating more reliable and safer journeys. From project conception through to completion, Balfour Beatty has a continued focus on future proofing its schemes. This includes creating smart motorways and preparing routes to welcome autonomous vehicles.
- Current projects include Balfour Beatty’s £292m construction contract to widen a critical and complex 10-mile stretch of the existing A14, as part of Highways England’s £1.5bn A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon improvement scheme. The team also has extensive experience of using the latest technology to tackle congestion and is working towards the completion of Manchester Smart Motorway scheme M62 junctions 18-20 and M60 junctions 8-10.
- Recently completed Highways schemes include the £70m dualling scheme to upgrade a 2.5 mile section of the A21 in Kent from single to dual carriageway. The project has delivered a safer and more streamlined route for the travelling public, also supporting the local economy in this area of Kent.
