Road builder secures £32m contract for 5km section of major route
Morrison Construction, the Scottish infrastructure business owned by Galliford Try, has won a £32m contract for work that should help reduce congestion on one of northern Scotland’s key roads.
The company has been appointed by Transport Scotland to design and construct a new fivekilometre section of the A96 linking Aberdeen and Inverness, which is expected to help reduce journey times on the busy route.
As the new section will allow drivers to bypass Fochabers and Mosstodloch, the development is also likely to be welcomed by residents of the two centres.
The award will provide a valuable boost to Morrison at a time when the construction industry is still being hit hard by the slowdown in housebuilding and commercial development that was triggered by the credit crunch.
Sector players have been jockeying for position in the market to work on projects like roads which have been supported by high levels of government spending. With public spending set to come under pressure in as ministers look to cut the government’s huge debts, competition for this kind of work is likely to intensify.
In September, Galliford Try said its order book was 84% in the public and regulated sectors.
However, Ken Gillespie, managing director of construction, said: “In the last few months we have seen public sector projects being stopped, shelved or their scope being effectively reduced, as the public spending issues start to hit us. It is going to be a very difficult couple of years.â€
In Scotland, where Galliford helped build the Falkirk Wheel and employs 950 of its 4000 staff, the group is one of five contractors involved in the NHS Scotland framework project. It is also working on the £445m extension to the M74 in Glasgow.
Yesterday Greg Fitzgerald, chief executive of Galliford Try, said the company was pleased that the contract for work on the A96 would give the firm an opportunity to demonstrate its technical expertise and strengthen its existing relationship with Transport Scotland.
The new bypass will link the A96 from the west of Mosstodloch, crossing the River Spey and bypassing to the north of Fochabers before reconnecting with the A96 and A98 to the east of the village. Work is expected to be completed in spring 2012.
The contract includes the construction of new single carriageway with overtaking lanes, two bridges and four underpasses.
Original source : Mark Williamson
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