Costain to work on €5 billion UK roads project

UK-based infrastructure group Costain today has won a contract to work on Highways England’s smart motorways programme.

Costain, one of three partner contractors selected to work on the 10-year SMP Alliance, will help deliver the northern region element, including work on the A66 and a smart motorway upgrade to an 18km stretch of the M62, between Huddersfield and Rochdale.

The €5.2 billion project’s aim is to increase lane capacity on Highways England’s road network, with the use of embedded roadside technology and the conversion of hard shoulders into all-lane running.

Alex Vaughan, CEO of Costain, said, “We are delighted to have been selected as one of the partners to the SMP Alliance.

“This strategic programme will deliver the much-needed capacity and safety improvements across the strategic road network in England.”

Analysts have suggested the new contract could add more than €1.1 billion to Costain’s order book, over the course of the 10-year programme.

The other on-site assembly partners for the project are reported to be a joint venture of BAM Nuttall and Morgan Sindall, which will operate in the Midlands, and Balfour Beatty, which will carry out the contract for the southern area of the programme.

A further three partners are set to be named for the project, with two tackling the design phase of the operation and another undertaking production management.

Highways England says the SMP Alliance will deliver the key smart motorway elements of the government’s second Road Investment Strategy.