Costain bags £100m highways job

Contractor Costain has won the £100m job from the Highways Agency to design and build improvements to the A556 in Cheshire.

The scheme will see the contractor upgrade the road to full dual carriageway in the 19-mile stretch between its junctions with the M6 and the M56, under the Early Contractor Involvement scheme.

It will also see the construction of a bypass around Bucklow Hill, Mere and Over Tabley, and Junction 7 of the M56 will be upgraded.

In a stock exchange statement Costain did not give a value for the contract, but the Highways Agency has previously estimated the cost of the job at £107m.

 Andrew Wyllie, chief executive of Costain, said: “We are delighted to have been awarded this ECI contract with such an important client and one that further strengthens our position as one of the UK’s leading solution providers in the Highways sector.”