Firms await £140m Heads of the Valleys shortlist

Contractors are expecting to hear in the next few weeks which of them has made the grade for the next stage of the massive Heads of the Valleys dualling project in South Wales.

The Brynmawr to Tredegar project (dubbed Section 3) is worth around £140m. Among the list of contenders are understood to be BAM Nuttall, Costain, Alun Griffiths, Hochtief and Carillion.

An insider said: "I believe that firms from Ireland will also be interested in pitching for this scheme and my money's on a Roadbridge/John Sisk pairing to go for it."

Section 3 will be procured as an early contractor involvement job. As yet there is no firm date for site works to begin.

BAM Nuttall, then known as Edmund Nuttall, scooped section 1 of the scheme in 2005. That was the the 6km stretch from Abergavenny to Gilwern.

Three other contracts complete the Heads of the Valleys dualling scheme. These are Tredegar to Dowlais Top; Dowlais Top to A470 junction; and A470 junction to Baverstock's.