M1 Road Contract

Costain Group PLC
13 September 2005


COSTAIN WINS £429 MILLION JOINT VENTURE ROAD CONTRACT

Costain Group PLC ('Costain'), in joint venture with Mowlem PLC, has been
awarded a £429 million Highways Agency contract to widen a 25-mile stretch of
the M1 motorway near Luton, Bedfordshire and construct a new link between the A5
and the M1, north of Dunstable.

It is the largest contract that has been awarded under the Highway Agency's
Early Contractor Involvement Scheme to date.

Costain will, along with the Highways Agency and Mowlem, now develop detailed
construction plans and programmes for the project.  Construction work is
expected to begin in 2008 with completion scheduled for 2011.

Commenting on the contract award, Andrew Wyllie, Chief Executive, said:

'This contract win is significant.  Along with other recent awards, Costain has
now been awarded £624 million of road scheme work in just two months.  The M1
project, the largest to date, refle     cts both the strength of our relationship
with the Highways Agency and our recognised capabilities in this sector.'

                                                               13 September 2005

Enquiries:

Costain Group PLC                                                   01628 842444
Andrew Wyllie, Chief Executive
Graham Read, Public Relations

College Hill                                                       020 7457 2020
Mark Garraway
Matthew Gregorowski



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