Skanska has emerged from a field of six contractors to win a £68.9m design and build contract from the Highways Agency to widen the A2 from three to four lanes in each direction between Pepperhill and Cobham in Kent.
Under the Highways Agency’s new-style “Early Contractor Involvement” (ECI) initiative, Skanska’s expertise will be used at a very early stage of the scheme to carry out detailed design and development work.
This includes reducing costs through extensive value engineering and providing detailed information on all areas of the scheme, including environmental aspects, to help it obtain the required statutory approvals.
Once statutory consents have been obtained, construction is expected to start in early 2006 and be completed in 2008.
When completed, the scheme will provide added capacity to one of the busiest roads into London, currently used by 110,000 motorists each day.
Bill Hocking, managing director of Skanska’s civil engineering business said, “We are delighted to have won our first major ECI contract with the Highways Agency. This allows us to utilize the full range of our in-house expertise at the important early stage of the scheme and successfully deliver the project in partnership with our supply chain and the Highways Agency.”
The contract award comes as Skanska recently completed widening another large section of road in Kent, the M2/A2, in joint venture with two other contractors.
Skanska’s design consultant is Owen Williams.