Galliford Try will cease work on one of three major schemes on the A47 in Norfolk, for reasons described as being ‘commercially sensitive’.
Last week it was announced that National Highways would be progressing the A47/A11 Thickthorn junction scheme, along with schemes between Blofield and North Burlingham and between North Tuddenham and Easton after fighting off a legal challenge.
It said at the time that it would speak to the contractor on the three schemes – Galliford Try – to find a way to progress the works while warning they had already been delayed by around a year.
National Highways has now said Galliford Try will continue to deliver a package of pre-construction works on the Thickthorn scheme, currently priced at £50m to £100m, but that the contract with the firm will then ‘come to an organised and managed end with a new contractor taking over the construction element’.
National Highways added that it ‘would like to thank Galliford Try for their work on development phase of this project’.
A spokesperson said: ‘While the construction contractor will be new, the plans to redevelop the junction remain the same with major work on the project expected to start - as planned - next spring.’
The government-owned company said the reasons for Galliford Try no longer working on the construction element of the project are commercially sensitive ‘and will remain between National Highways and Galliford Try’.
A number of highway contracts have either fallen apart or struggled with inflationary shocks in recent months. National Highways has made clear that it has a responsibility to ensure our projects represent good value for money and told Highways that sometimes that means it has to make changes to the way it delivers the work.
The judicial review of the A47 work found that the decisions of successive transport secretaries to grant development consent orders to the three A47 schemes were properly assessed, but the campaigner who brought the case said he will appeal.
