Civils players struggle to make HA's shortlist

The UK's major civils players are locked in a struggle to make the shortlist for one of the biggest Highways Agency (HA) deals to come up for grabs this year.

The project, valued at £144m, includes widening the M25 between junctions 12 and 15 - the UK's busiest stretch of motorway - and constructing stage two of the Heathrow Terminal 5 spur road.

Three joint ventures have thrown their hats into the ring - Morgan Est/Laing, Nuttall/Carillion and Amec/Alfred McAlpine.

Skanska, Balfour Beatty and Mowlem are the other contenders for a shortlist likely to comprise five outfits.

The HA originally set a date of 13 May to send out the tender paperwork, but now gives "early summer" as the deadline.

The design and construct deal includes widening the M25 from four to five lanes between junctions 12 and 14 and to six lanes between 14 and 15.

The spur road project will feature five bridges, including a complex structure over the River Colne.

No site start date is yet available, but the HA has stipulated a six-month design span and a two-year construction period.