National Highways has awarded contracts worth around £1.3bn for the delivery of controversial works to the A303 in the South West.
The government-owned organisation is looking to perform a £1.7bn upgrade of the road between Amesbury and Berwick Down, which could include a two-mile-long tunnel under Stonehenge.
The planning application for the transformational scheme is still awaiting redetermination from transport secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan, after a High Court quashed predecessor Grant Shapps’ order to proceed with the plans in 2021. A legal challenge had been brought by campaigners concerned about the project's potential impact on the world heritage site.
National Highways has said in the meantime, to ensure programme timescales are maintained, civil engineering firm Costain and consultancy Mott MacDonald have been awarded a £60m contract to provide technical and construction management services.
An international group of construction companies known as MORE - that comprises Spain’s FCC Construcción, Italian business WeBuild and Austria-headquartered BeMo Tunnelling - has also signed a £1.25bn deal to deliver the tunnel and main works. The joint venture had been named as National Highways’ preferred bidder for the scheme in May.
National Highways’ project director Derek Parody said the main works contract would only become live once the secretary of state has concluded the planning process.
Mr Parody said: “The announcement in no way pre-empts any decision, and once that is finalised, and should the Development Consent Order be granted, having these contractors in place puts us in the strongest possible position to deliver this transformational scheme and deliver the benefits we know it can.
“The scheme will not only unlock congestion along this vital A303 route, but also conserve and enhance the Outstanding Universal Value of the World Heritage Site.”
Sue Kershaw, managing director of transportation at Costain, said the scheme would bring “enormous benefits” to people using the A303 and local residents, “unlocking the regional economy and safeguarding the much-loved Stonehenge World Heritage site and surrounding environment.”
Ken Norbury, transportation managing director at Mott MacDonald, added the project would help “improve peoples’ lives”, and be “one which the country will be proud of”.
Business leaders in the region previously described the High Court’s decision to quash the plans as a “body blow”, which could cost the region £2bn a year.
South West Business Council chairman Tim Jones previously told BusinessLive the government’s own figures had predicted the scheme, which is aiming to ease congestion around the tourist attraction, could lead to a £4bn boost for the region over a 20-year period.
To prepare for the construction phase, National Highways said it had been "working closely" with the Swindon and Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership; South West chamber of commerce Business West; the Federation of Small Businesses; Salisbury and District Chamber of Commerce; and Salisbury BID; and had also partnered nationally with the Supply Chain Sustainability School to provide free online training.
According to National Highways, the preliminary work will provide initial opportunities for local, regional and national companies within the first six months of construction starting.
The contracts for archaeology and enabling preliminary work were announced in 2020, as part of the total £1.7bn capital cost of the scheme. Wessex Archaeology, one of the largest contractors in the sector, were awarded the £35m archaeological mitigation contract; and Octavius Infrastructure (formerly Osborne) were awarded the £8.5m preliminary works contract.
Proposed upgrade of A303
- eight miles of free-flowing dual carriageway;
- a tunnel at least two miles long underneath the World Heritage Site, closely following the existing A303 route, but a further 50 metres away from the Stonehenge monument;
- a new bypass to the north of the village of Winterbourne Stoke;
- junctions with the A345 and A360 either side of the World Heritage Site.
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