Bids for £180m road jobs

by Brian Warner



Contractors are gearing up to collect the tender paperwork for more than £180m worth of road schemes north of the border.

Balfour Beatty and Morrison have made the shortlists for all three projects - the first of which will be the £37m Haddington to Dunbar deal in East Lothian.

Four contractors will pick up the tender documents next month for the Scottish Executive's design, construct and maintain deal, with the line-up completed by Amec and Sir Robert McAlpine.

The 18-week tender period will be followed by three months of tender evaluation and three months of design work, with a start on site expected in summer 2002.

The job includes 13.7km of dual carriageway and a crossing over the River Tyne.

In September, three rivals will pick up documents for a second Scottish Executive design, construct and maintain project - the £27m A8 Glasgow-Edinburgh trunk road.

Barr will join Balfour Beatty and Morrison for the contract, which involves 8.3km of dual carriageway. The deal will be let in spring 2002 with a start on site due next summer.

Both schemes will be awarded on a fixed-price lump-sum basis.

Also in September, four consortia will pick up the paperwork for the £130m Malletsheugh to Fenwick design, build, finance and operate deal on the M77.

East Renfrewshire Council announced the line-up for the project earlier this year. It is: Connect (Balfour Beatty/Barr); MDM (Sir Robert McAlpine/Alfred McAlpine/ Dragados); Jarvis/Ferrovial Agroman/Cintra; and Amec/Morrison.

A preferred bidder is expected to emerge by autumn 2002, with a start on site due by the end of next year.

l Four outfits are in the hunt for a £6m deal to extend the A1 around Dunbar. Scottish Borders Council has shortlisted Balfour Beatty, Morrison, Farrans and Miller for the 2km project, which will be awarded this autumn for a start on site in spring 2002.