Five battle for HA's Cumbrian road job

Five contractors are due to pick up the tender paperwork later this month for one of the few road deals to come up for grabs in Cumbria.
The line-up for the Highways Agency's (HA) £16.4m A66 Temple Sowerby bypass includes local contractor Cumbrian Industrials. Keeping the firm company will be Balfour Beatty, Birse, Costain and Skanska.
An insider said: "Whoever wins this contract will do itself no harm at all because the job carries a high environmental profile and the client's demands will be considerable."
The route crosses the River Eden, designated a Special Area of Conservation and Site of Special Scientific Interest.
The job, which is an early contractor improvement deal, includes constructing 5km of dual carriageway bypass, plus improvements at Winderwath.
Key performance indicators will play a major role in the awarding of the scheme, with the HA stipulating that its winning contractor will "have to demonstrate continuous improvement throughout the life of the contract".