More JV signs Stonehenge main works contract
3 October 2022More joint venture has signed the contract to deliver the £1.25bn tunnel and main construction work at Stonehenge in the UK.
National Highways named the joint venture, comprising FCC Construcción, WeBuild and BeMo Tunnelling, as the preferred bidder in May this year.
The main works contract covers the construction of the proposed 3.3km 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.
The planning application for the £1.7bn A303 Amesbury to Berwick Down scheme is still pending redetermination by the Secretary of State for Transport, following the quashing of the decision to grant the Development Consent Order.
In the meantime, to ensure programme timescales are maintained, National Highways has awarded its £60m Delivery Assurance Partner contract to Costain and Mott MacDonald. They will provide technical and construction management expertise by helping mobilise the main works contractor, overseeing construction, assisting the discharge of consent requirements and assuring the design.
National Highways project director for the scheme, Derek Parody, said the main works contract would become live only once the Secretary of State had concluded the planning process.
“The announcement in no way pre-empts any decision, and once that is finalised, and should the Development Consent Order be granted, having these contractors in place puts us in the strongest possible position to deliver this transformational scheme and deliver the benefits we know it can.
“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.”
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, while Octavius Infrastructure (formerly Osborne) has been awarded the £8.5m preliminary works contract through the Collaborative Delivery Framework.
