Roads sector drives up opportunities

The roads sector is driving up opportunities with a rise in project starts and a number of major schemes starting or passing significant hurdles, while major frameworks are coming up for grabs.

In the three months to April 2024, road projects valued at a total of £2,700 million started on site. Up 37% on a year earlier, this total provided 55% of all civil engineering starts and more work is massing in the pipeline.

Glenigan’s construction industry research has identified a total of 965 roads sector projects due to start over the next 12 months. The large proportion of these planned roads schemes are smaller with 905 schemes valued at up to £100 million due to begin over the coming year.

Big plans

Major road schemes are also edging closer to a start on site. VolkerFitzpatrick is now cleared to begin work on a major £200m upgrade to junction 9 of the M3 (pictured) after the transport secretary granted a development consent order in May (Project ID: 14429877). Construction is expected to begin in early 2025 and run until late 2027.

Work should begin late next year on the £208 million North Hykeham Relief Road in Lincolnshire after the county council finally secured planning permission (Project ID: 18312717).

Balfour Beatty is lined up as contractor on that project and also getting ready to begin work on the £170m A57 Mottram Bypass in Greater Manchester later this year after the last in a series of legal challenges was recently overcome by National Highways (Project ID: 92432387).

Framework plans

A number of major frameworks are also set to boost workloads over the coming months.

Major frameworks coming up include an £850m highways planned works framework for Liverpool City Council (Project ID: 24115555).

Procurement will begin in September through a two-stage process with prequalification followed by an invitation to tender in late Autumn. A maximum of four suppliers will be appointed for each of two value-based lots. One lot covering jobs up to £1.5m should produce spending of up to £100m, while a second lot covering work above this level is valued at £750m.

Contractors will be chosen early in the New Year. The framework will begin at the start of the 2025/26 financial year and run for four years.

Procurement has also begun on the fourth generation of the Eastern Highways Alliance Framework, which will be used by 11 authorities in the East of England and is expected to generate spending of £800 million over the next four years (Project ID: 23264965).

Central Bedfordshire Council is procuring the framework, which will also be awarded in lots, and expressions of interest must be submitted by the 5th of August.

Road to success

With opportunities increasing across all levels, the roads sector looks set to continue to drive infrastructure workload.