Volker wins Luton highways maintenance deal

Luton Borough Council has awarded a highway maintenance contract that could be worth £200 million over 15 years to VolkerHighways.

Luton Borough Council says the contract, which also encompasses major projects and professional services, started on 1 January 2017 and will run for 10 years with a possible five years of extensions, totalling £200 million.

It combines the Department for Transport’s (DfT) Highways Maintenance Efficiency Programme (HMEP) contract model with an ‘innovative approach to work’.

This new collaboration includes major projects and professional design services, in association with The Project Centre, highway maintenance works to carriageways, footways and street lighting, together with winter maintenance and gully cleansing as well as 24/7 cover for emergency repairs.

Councillor Paul Castleman, portfolio holder for highways at Luton Borough Council, said: “This is a unique milestone for the council with a 10-year collaboration with VolkerHighways and The Project Centre, to help us improve the quality of our infrastructure and to support the delivery of Luton’s £1.5 billion Investment Framework.”

Alistair Thompson, managing director of VolkerHighways said: “VolkerHighways looks forward to working collaboratively with Luton Borough Council in this exciting new agreement which brings together all the highways infrastructure disciplines, from design to routine and reactive maintenance as well as lighting and winter gritting.”

The local authority says the new contract supports its wider corporate objectives, including an asset management based approach to infrastructure delivery that will be available for use by neighbouring authorities.