Published 30 September 2022

National Highways has today announced it has the key contracts in place to deliver the £1.7 billion A303 Amesbury to Berwick Down scheme past Stonehenge.

The planning application for the transformational scheme is still pending redetermination by the Secretary of State for Transport, following the quashing of the decision to grant the Development Consent Order.

In the meantime, to ensure programme timescales are maintained, National Highways has awarded its £60 million Delivery Assurance Partner contract to Costain and Mott MacDonald, who will provide technical and construction management expertise by helping mobilise the main works contractor, oversee construction, assist the discharge of consent requirements and assure the design.
National Highways, following its preferred bidder announcement earlier this year, has also now signed a contract with MORE joint venture, comprising FCC Construcción, WeBuild and BeMo Tunnelling, to deliver the £1.25 billion tunnel and main construction work.

The contract signing follows a robust procurement process, a major part of which required shortlisted tenderers to develop their design solutions and demonstrate these as compliant with National Highways’ requirements.

The main works contract covers the construction of the proposed tunnel’s civil, structural, mechanical, electrical and technology components, including the tunnel boring machine, along with the approach roadworks and structures and the environmental components of the five-year construction phase.

Derek Parody, National Highways’ Project Director for the A303 Stonehenge scheme, said: “We’re pleased to have brought in a team of expert contractors.

“The main works contract will only become live once the Secretary of State has concluded the planning process.

“The announcement in no way pre-empts any decision, and once that is finalised, and should the Development Consent Order be granted, having these contractors in place puts us in the strongest possible position to deliver this transformational scheme and deliver the benefits we know it can.

“The scheme will not only unlock congestion along this vital A303 route, but also conserve and enhance the Outstanding Universal Value of the World Heritage Site.

“Our Delivery Assurance Partner will help us to successfully coordinate and oversee the development of the scheme moving forward. This collaborative team will continue to work with local stakeholders, heritage bodies and local communities to deliver a successful and exceptional project for the area.”

Sue Kershaw, managing director of Transportation at Costain, said: “This scheme will bring enormous benefits to people using the A303 and those living in the local area, unlocking the regional economy and safeguarding the much-loved Stonehenge World Heritage site and surrounding environment.

“This award recognises our ability to apply our construction expertise to the delivery assurance partner role and we’re delighted that together we are creating connected, sustainable infrastructure that helps people and the planet to thrive.”

Ken Norbury, transportation managing director at Mott MacDonald, said: “We have assembled a world class multi-disciplinary team to support this vital upgrade project.

“We’re proud to be chosen alongside Costain and look forward to working collaboratively with the project team on an outstanding scheme that will improve peoples’ lives, enhance the World Heritage Site and its surrounding environment, and one which the country will be proud of.”

To prepare regional businesses for the construction phase, National Highways – the company responsible for England’s major A roads and motorways – has been working closely with the Swindon and Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership, Business West, the Federation of Small Businesses, Salisbury and District Chamber of Commerce and Salisbury BID, and has also partnered nationally with the Supply Chain Sustainability School to provide free online training.

This helps smaller companies to upskill and places them in a better position to tender for work on larger infrastructure projects, such as the A303 Stonehenge upgrade.

In advance of the main construction work, preliminary work will provide initial opportunities for local, regional and national companies within the first six months of construction starting.

The contracts for archaeology and enabling preliminary work were announced in 2020, as part of the total £1.7 billion capital cost of the scheme. Wessex Archaeology, one of the largest contractors in the sector, were awarded the £35 million Archaeological Mitigation Contract, Octavius Infrastructure (formerly Osborne) have been awarded the £8.5 million Preliminary Works Contract through the Collaborative Delivery Framework.

The proposed upgrade of the A303 between Amesbury and Berwick Down includes:
• 8 miles of free-flowing, high-quality dual carriageway
• a tunnel at least 2 miles long underneath the World Heritage Site, closely following the existing A303 route, but a further 50 metres away from the Stonehenge monument, avoiding important archaeological sites, and avoiding intrusion on the view of the setting sun from the stones during the winter solstice
• a new bypass to the north of the village of Winterbourne Stoke
• junctions with the A345 and A360 either side of the World Heritage Site

For more details and updates on the A303 Stonehenge scheme, people can log on to the scheme website at https://nationalhighways.co.uk/our-roads/a303-stonehenge/, and for any further queries, companies can register online at our business directory at https://nationalhighways.co.uk/our-work/a303-stonehenge/supply-chain/

https://nationalhighways.co.uk/article/national-highways-puts-key-contracts-in-place-to-deliver-a303-upgrade-past-stonehenge/