Highways Agency advertises its £50m North East Package B roads project

The Highways Agency has readvertised its £50m North East roads Package B contract in the OJEU with just two road schemes instead of the original four.

The orginal £70.4m four-road scheme package was first advertised in June 2004. The readvertised scheme now only includes the £29.4m A19 Seaton Burn grade separated junction project north of Newcastle and the £20.5m  A19 Testos grade separated junction in South Tyneside.

The two schemes no longer in the early contractor involvement project are the ££8m A66 Long Newton grade separated junction and the £12.4m Rillington bypass project.

Package B has suffered a similar fate to the £34.5m three-road scheme Package A, which was also first advertised in June 2004.

The revised scheme was readvertised in January this year, but stripped of the A1 Adderstone to Belford dualling in Northumberland and reduced in value to £20m. The two schemes left in were the A66 Greta Bridge to Stephen Brook and the A66 Carkin Moor to Scotch Corner project in North Yorkshire. Amec, Costain, Balfour Beatty, Carillion and Birse are lined up to bid for the project.

Contractors have until 1 September to register interest in the latest Package B scheme.