Costain and Interserve battle for £70m Merseyside viaduct

Two rivals have gone head to head in the final run-in for one of the most "rigorously assessed" road deals ever to be put out by the Highways Agency (HA).

Costain is up against Interserve for the £70m Bidston Moss Viaduct scheme on Merseyside, with the odds at this stage seeming to favour Costain.

Morgan Est, which also pitched for the project, is no longer in the running and a fourth contender, Bilfinger Berger, has pulled out of the race because of "work pressures elsewhere".

As source said: "The two contractors will be facing the most rigorous bid assessment procedure. There are new brooms at the HA and in these difficult economic times, the presssure is really on to achieve value for money."

The HA is expected to award the deal this month, with work on site due to start early in the New Year. But there is uncertainty over how long the work will take to complete.

An insider said: "That will depend on the solutions the winning contractor comes up with."

The viaduct is being upgraded for the third time and the latest job includes steelwork strengthening, resurfacing, concrete repairs and new parapets.

The viaduct, joint owned by the HA, Wirral Council and Mersey Tunnels, is a 730m box-girder structure, carrying the M53 over the A554 roundabout and the Birkenhead to New Brighton railway.