MORE JV named as preferred bidder for Stonehenge Tunnel

The MORE joint venture, comprising FCC Construcción (42.5% share), Webuild (42.5%) and BeMo Tunnelling (15%), has been selected as the preferred bidder for the contract which, as well as construction of the 3.3km tunnel under the World Heritage Site, includes the main construction work for the A303 Amesbury to Berwick Down scheme past Stonehenge.

The planning application for the scheme is still pending, awaiting “redetermination” by the transport secretary Grant Schapps following a High Court quashing the decision to grant the Development Consent Order.

In the meantime, and to ensure programme timescales are maintained, National Highways has made its selection.

MORE JV has enlisted a design consortium with Atkins, Jacobs and Spanish designer Sener acting as the design joint venture.

The Main Works Contract covers the construction of the proposed tunnel’s civil, structural, mechanical, electrical and technology components, including the TBM, along with the approach roadworks and structures and the environmental components of the five-year construction phase.

National Highways project director Derek Parody said the contract would become live only once the Secretary of State had concluded the planning process.

“The announcement of a preferred bidder in no way pre-empts any decision, and once that is finalised, and should the Development Consent Order be granted, having a contractor in place will put us in the strongest possible position to deliver this transformational scheme and deliver the benefits we know it can,” he said.

“The scheme will not only unlock congestion along this vital A303 route, but also conserve and enhance the Outstanding Universal Value of the World Heritage Site, and the joint venture will bring world class expertise to the construction of the tunnel and the roads.

“We’re pleased we have now identified our contractors, they are internationally renowned and they will also be making best use of considerable UK skills by using a range of local, regional and national suppliers and contractors to help them deliver the scheme.” 

To prepare for the construction phase, National Highways has been working closely with the Swindon and Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership, Business West, the Federation of Small Businesses, Salisbury and District Chamber of Commerce and Salisbury BID, and has also partnered nationally with the Supply Chain Sustainability School to provide free online training.

This helps smaller companies to upskill and places them in a better position to tender for work on larger infrastructure projects, such as the A303 Stonehenge upgrade.

The preliminary work will provide initial opportunities for local, regional and national companies within the first six months of construction starting.

The contracts for archaeology and enabling preliminary work were announced in 2020, as part of the total £1.7bn capital cost of the scheme. Wessex Archaeology, one of the largest contractors in the sector, was awarded the £35m Archaeological Mitigation Contract, and Octavius Infrastructure (formerly Osborne) has been awarded the £8.5m Preliminary Works Contract through the Collaborative Delivery Framework.

A Delivery Assurance Partner Contract, up to the value of £60m, will be awarded in due course.

The proposed upgrade of the A303 between Amesbury and Berwick Down includes:

• 8 miles of free-flowing, high-quality dual carriageway
• a tunnel at least 3.3km long underneath the World Heritage Site, closely following the existing A303 route, but a further 50m away from the Stonehenge monument, avoiding important archaeological sites, and avoiding intrusion on the view of the setting sun from the stones during the winter solstice
• a new bypass to the north of the village of Winterbourne Stoke
• junctions with the A345 and A360 either side of the World Heritage Site