Key contracts for the £1.7bn A303 Stonehenge Tunnel scheme have been awarded to Costain and Mott MacDonald by Nationwide Highways.
Plans for the A303 Amesbury to Berwick Down scheme would see a 3.2km tunnel constructed beneath the Nationwide Heritage Web site, 50m away from the present route of the A303.
Nationwide Highways has now awarded its £60M Supply Assurance Accomplice contract to Costain and Mott MacDonald. The 2 engineering giants will present technical and development administration experience by serving to mobilise the primary works contractor, oversee development, help the discharge of consent necessities and guarantee the design.
It comes after Nationwide Highways chosen a three way partnership comprising Spain’s FCC Construcción, Italian agency WeBuild and BeMo Tunnelling from Austria to ship the £1.25bn contract for the tunnel, together with the primary development work for the A303 Amesbury to Berwick Down scheme previous Stonehenge.
The contract is topic to closing sign-off on the scheme by transport secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan, with its planning software nonetheless pending redetermination after the choice to grant the Growth Consent Order (DCO) was initially quashed.
Nationwide Highways venture director for the A303 Stonehenge scheme Derek Parody stated: “We’re happy to have introduced in a workforce of skilled contractors. The primary works contract will solely turn out to be dwell as soon as the secretary of state has concluded the planning course of.
“The announcement by no means pre-empts any resolution, and as soon as that’s finalised, and may the DCO be granted, having these contractors in place places us within the strongest attainable place to ship this transformational scheme and ship the advantages we all know it may possibly.
“The scheme is not going to solely unlock congestion alongside this very important A303 route, but additionally preserve and improve the Excellent Common Worth of the World Heritage Web site.
“Our Supply Assurance Accomplice will assist us to efficiently coordinate and oversee the event of the scheme transferring ahead. This collaborative workforce will proceed to work with native stakeholders, heritage our bodies and native communities to ship a profitable and distinctive venture for the realm.”
Costain managing director of transportation Sue Kershaw additionally emphasised the advantages of the scheme.
“This scheme will deliver monumental advantages to folks utilizing the A303 and people residing within the native space, unlocking the regional economic system and safeguarding the much-loved Stonehenge World Heritage web site and surrounding setting,” she stated.
“This award recognises our skill to use our development experience to the supply assurance companion function and we’re delighted that collectively we’re creating related, sustainable infrastructure that helps folks and the planet to thrive.”
Mott MacDonald transportation managing director Ken Norbury added: “Now we have assembled a world class multi-disciplinary workforce to assist this very important improve venture.
“We’re proud to be chosen alongside Costain and sit up for working collaboratively with the venture workforce on an impressive scheme that may enhance peoples’ lives, improve the World Heritage Web site and its surrounding setting, and one which the nation will likely be happy with.”
The primary works contract covers the development of the proposed tunnel’s civil, structural, mechanical, electrical and expertise parts. This consists of the tunnel boring machine, together with the strategy roadworks and buildings and the environmental parts of the five-year development part.
Opponents of the scheme have steered {that a} longer tunnel would assist keep away from damaging the historic web site.
Nevertheless in paperwork submitted to the Planning Inspectorate January, Nationwide Highways stated its place concerning a bored tunnel extension “stays unchanged” and “this feature needs to be excluded from additional growth”.
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