Balfour Beatty has won a £75M contract with the Highways Agency to carry out a 1.5km improvement scheme on the A63 Castle Street in Hull.
This Early Contractor Involvement design and build deal will see the firm convert a major interchange into a split level junction, with a two lane dual carriageway carrying east west traffic below north south traffic in a new 400m underpass.
Construction on the project, expected to improve access to the Port of Hull, relieve congestion and improve safety on the route, could begin in 2016/17.
The contractor beat out competition from BAM Nuttall/Morgan Sindall JV, Carillion, Costain and Laing O’Rourke to win the job, which will also include the construction of two new bridges linking the south and north of the city for pedestrians, cyclists and disabled users.
Balfour Beatty is also set to manage detailed design and development and assist with statutory consultations for the improvements as part of the contract.
The ECI form of contract has been used on several occasions by the Highways Agency to enhance the value for money of its schemes through start to finish responsibility for contractors. This allows for continuous engagement with local communities and earlier resolution of environmental and design issues when compared to traditional contracts.
This section of the A63 was identified by the Highways Agency as one of the busiest sections of road in the whole of East Yorkshire and is an important link between the M62, the Humber Bridge and the Port of Hull.
Balfour Beatty Construction Services UK chief executive officer Nicholas Pollard said: "This award to improve journey times on the main route through Hull builds upon our 20 year portfolio of work for the Highways Agency and our extensive experience of successful delivery of ECI contracts including the recent A3 Hindhead Tunnel and A46 Newark to Widmerpool projects through which we were able to deliver substantial cost efficiencies to the Highways Agency."
