Re Contract

RNS Number : 9518F

Balfour Beatty PLC

16 October 2008

 



16 October 2008

BALFOUR BEATTY BEGINS WORK ON THE £200 MILLION PLUS 

A421 ROAD SCHEME FOR THE HIGHWAYS AGENCY

Balfour Beatty, the international engineering, construction and services group, announces today that work is to commence on the A421 road scheme between the M1 and Bedford.  Work on the design development, statutory process and environmental statement has now been successfully completed. The project was awarded to Balfour Beatty Civil Engineering as an Early Contractor Involvement project in late 2005.

The Highways Agency scheme budget for the project is within the range of £201 and £231 million. The new road is scheduled to open in late 2010. 

Commenting on the commencement of work today, Balfour Beatty Chief Executive Ian Tyler said: 

'We are very pleased to get construction underway on another Early Contractor Involvement scheme with the Highways Agency.  The opportunity afforded by this form of contract to work in partnership with the customer, the designer and other stakeholder groups in developing the scheme helps ensure the best possible project out-turn.' 

The existing A421 is largely single carriageway, is extremely busy and carries a high proportion of HGV traffic.  In the new scheme, M1 Junction 13 will be remodelled and a 13-kilometre dual carriageway will be built linking the M1 with the existing ring road to the south of Bedford. 

Through the Early Contractor Involvement scheme, Balfour Beatty is already working on the A3 Hindhead improvement project, the A1(M) Branham to Wetherby upgrading, the A46 Newark to Widmerpool road, the A13 Sadlers Farm junction improvement and is nearing completion of the M1 Junction 6a to 10 widening project. 

-ENDS-

Enquiries to: 

Duncan Murray
Tel: [phone]

www.balfourbeatty.com 

Notes to Editors 

1.	Balfour Beatty Civil Engineering is the UK's leading civil engineering company. Its regional business has been responsible for the M77/Glasgow Southern Orbital DBFO project and many other key motorway and trunk road contracts in Scotland including the M74 completion project. It is currently working on many other projects throughout the UK including the upgrade of the A1(M) between Branham and Wetherby in Yorkshire, the infrastructure for East Midlands Parkway, a new park and ride train station to serve East Midlands Airport, the infrastructure for Phase 1 of the Ravenscraig redevelopment in North Lanarkshire as well as the Forth Bridge restoration contract. Its major projects division is also currently working on major projects for the A3 bottleneck alleviation at Hindhead and the Devil's Punchbowl, the widening of the M1 between Junctions 6a and 10, the new Northern Ticket Hall as part of the development of King's Cross Underground Station, East London Line and Thameslink Blackfriars station and bridge reconstruction scheme.
2.	Balfour Beatty owns and operates four PFI road schemes. These are the M1/A1 Link in Yorkshire, the A30/A35 in Devon and Dorset, the A50 in Derbyshire and the M77/GSO in Scotland. In a consortium Balfour Beatty has been appointed preferred bidder for the PPP contract to provide additional capacity and maintain the M25 and for the Carlisle Northern Development Route contract.
3.	Through its subsidiary, Balfour Beatty Infrastructure Services, the Group is a leading road manager and maintainer with a wide range of contracts for the Highways Agency and local authorities.
4.	Balfour Beatty is a world-class engineering, construction, services and investment business, well-positioned in infrastructure markets which offer significant long-term growth. We work in partnership with sophisticated customers who value the highest levels of quality, safety and technical expertise. Our skills are applied in appropriate combinations to meet individual customer need. Balfour Beatty's financial position, with significant net cash and with strong operating cash flows, offers continuing flexibility to add additional capacity and expertise to the business mix and to make appropriate investments in PPP and other long-term growth opportunities.

 

END

 

 

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