National Highways has awarded Skanska a £345m contract to design and construct the new A46 Newark Bypass, subject to a significantly delayed planning application next year.
The government-owned company announced its preferred route – Option 2 Modified – in February.
Under Option 2 Modified the scheme will:
- widen the A46 to a dual carriageway to provide two lanes in each direction between the Farndon and Winthorpe junctions
- provide a new bridge over the A1 to the north of the existing bridge
- add a flyover junction at Cattle Market with the A46 elevated to pass over the roundabout. This will separate through traffic from local traffic
- add traffic lights to Farndon junction to improve flows during peak hours
- enlarge Winthorpe junction to a five-arm roundabout with traffic lights to connect the new A46 link.
It has now said it will hold another public consultation in October ahead of submitting an application for a development consent order (DCO) ‘in late 2023’ with main construction work ‘expected to begin in 2025’.
A complex set of roundabouts currently link the A46 to the A1 and A17
National Highways' 2022-23 Delivery Plan Update notes that the start of works has been deferred from 2024-25 to Road Period 3 (2025-30) following delayed approval for the preferred route announcement, which was due last year.
However, the latest assessment of National Highways' performance from the Office of Rail and Road, published in July, states that the expected submission date for DCO application had been moved by agreement with the Government to ‘Q2 2022-23’, i.e. the current quarter of the current financial year.
National Highways said the scheme is expected to cost between £400m and £500m.
Skanska, which will undertake the design and construction of the scheme, with Mott McDonald as design partner, gave the value of its contract as £345m.
It won the project through the National Highways Regional Delivery Partnership (RDP) framework, for which it is a Delivery Integration Partner for the East of England and Midlands regions.
Phil Boffey, senior project manager at National Highways, said: ‘This scheme will bring relief for the communities enduring the current congestion as well as drivers using this key trade corridor.
‘We are determined to ensure that, as far as possible, the improvements work for the community as a whole and will continue to consider the views of road users and local people as we work with Skanska in the design and delivery of this upgrade.’
Jonathan Willcock, managing director of Skanska’s Infrastructure business, said: ‘We’ll be working with National Highways and our design partner, Mott McDonald, bringing together a really strong and integrated team, alongside our wider supply chain.
‘We’re taking the lead for this project from the preliminary design stage, which will enable us to more closely align design, consultation and buildability. This will help us to identify opportunities to optimise productivity, reduce cost and carbon emissions and deliver the project safely – while leaving a positive legacy for local people.’
National Highways said surveys and assessments are currently being carried out to develop the design of the preferred route.
