Pioneering payment system for £245m motorway contract

A pioneering payment system, developed by the Highways Agency, will be used on the £245m project to upgrade to motorway standard, operate and maintain a 52km stretch of the A1 between Darrington and Dishforth in Yorkshire.

The Darrington-Dishforth Design Build Finance and Operate (DBFO) contract was awarded to Road Management Services (Darrington) (RMS), wholly owned by AMEC, Alfred McAlpine, Dragados and Kellogg Brown and Root last September.

But for the first time RMS will be paid on a sliding scale depending on the speed and volume of traffic using the road, which is hoped will act as an incentive for them to conduct essential activities, such as maintenance works at off peak times, and attend to incidents quickly.

Traffic speeds and flows will be monitored from measuring equipment in the carriageway linking back to a central processing system.

Alec Briggs, Highways Agency project leader said: "This is an innovative payment mechanism. The built-in incentives to the operator have been designed to help us to achieve our three key priorities - reducing congestion, enhancing the reliability of journey times, and improving safety for all road users on this very busy route."

Construction work under the DBFO Contract is due to start in April, with the whole scheme due for completion in summer 2006.