Contract awarded for major new M20 junction in Kent
A £39.1m contract to construct a new junction on the M20 near Ashford has been awarded to Vinci, Highways England has confirmed today (Friday 16 December).
A new junction – junction 10a – is proposed approximately 700 metres east of the existing junction 10 near Ashford in Kent. The new junction will use two bridges and connect to the existing A20 and a new dual carriageway link road built to the A2070 near Sevington.
Regional Director for Major Projects in the South East, Chris Welby-Everard, said:
The new junction, part of the Government’s record £15 billion investment in major roads, will help reduce congestion at the existing junction 10 and unlock potential for future growth in the Ashford area. Following our successful public consultation earlier this year, we have awarded the construction contract so that if planning permission is granted we can start work as soon as possible.
Commenting on the appointment, Peter Whitman, Highways Sector Director for VINCI Construction JV, said:
We are delighted to have been appointed Principal Contractor for the M20 junction 10A improvement works.
We look forward to working alongside Highways England in delivering this important scheme to reduce congestion and improve journey time reliability, whilst supporting growth in the Ashford area.
This is an important contract for us as it will be the first Highways England contract delivered solely by VINCI Construction JV, and demonstrates our continued growth in the strategic roads sector.
The scheme is currently progressing through the Development Consent Order examination process by the Planning Inspectorate, with the preliminary hearing having taken place on Friday 2 December. Construction of the scheme is conditional of planning permission being granted.
Vinci were chosen as the preferred supplier using the Collaborative Delivery Framework Lot 3a as a design and build contract. They will work alongside Jacobs, from Lot 1 of the same framework.
A nine week consultation ran from Thursday 14 January until Thursday 17 March 2016. Around 900 people responded to the consultation or attended one of the five exhibitions.
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