Highways England in the UK has selected six joint-venture companies to design and build ten smart motorways across the country as part of a £1.5bn investment.
The smart motorway project, which is part of the £15bn government investment that Highways England is delivering between now and 2021, will see 292 extra lane miles added to motorways.
The construction contractors include Balfour Beatty and Vinci joint venture (JV), Costain and Galliford Try joint venture, and Carillion and Kier joint venture.
“This means better journeys for millions of people across the country, easier access to jobs, and stronger links between towns and cities.”
The designers selected for this project are CH2M and Hyder joint venture, Amey and Arup joint venture, and Jacobs and Atkins joint venture.
Balfour Beatty and Vinci JV have secured a construction package including delivery of the M5 Junction 4a to Junction 6 smart motorway in Worcestershire, the M6 Junctions 2 to 4 in the Midlands, and the M4 Junctions 3 to 12 in London and Berkshire.
The total contract value is worth up to £607.4m and work on the first £45.4m package on the M4 will start later this year.
The M6 deal is expected to start work in 2017/2018, while the M4 scheme will start in 2016/17.
CH2M and Hyder JV have been appointed as the designers for these two future projects, valued between £25 to £30m.
Galliford Try has also won contracts worth up to £367m in a joint venture with Costain.
The Galliford Try and Costain JV has won a £65m construction package, including delivery of the M1 Junction 19 to Junction 16 smart motorway in Northamptonshire.
The JV has also been appointed to build two future schemes: the M1 Junction 24 to Junction 25 in the East Midlands, and the M1 Junction 13 to Junction 16 in Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire.
Kier has won a contract worth up to £475m in a 50/50 joint venture with Carillion under the Collaborative Delivery Framework.
The JV will work on the delivery of the M6 Junction 16 to Junction 19 smart motorway in Staffordshire and Cheshire, the M6 Junction 13 to Junction 15 in Staffordshire, the M20 Junction 3 to Junction 5 in Kent, and the M23 Junction 8 to Junction 10 in Surrey and West Sussex.
The first phase of the contract on the M6 Junction 16 to Junction 19 is worth £129.5m and is due to start later this year with the other packages phased for delivery over the next four years.
UK 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.”
