Relief road deal signed (From Dorset Echo)

Relief road deal signed

10:55am Wednesday 13th June 2007 in

• Skip social links
• Print
• Email
•  

CONTRACTORS were today appointed to build Weymouth's long-awaited £84.5 million relief road.

And work on the 3.75-mile route is likely to get under way early next year.

The deal between Dorset County Council and Skanska Construction was signed at a meeting at County Hall, Dorchester.

The county's project director for the scheme, Michael Winter, said: "Skanska, supported by international civil engineering design consultant Owen Williams, has a wealth of experience in building technically demanding and environmentally sensitive projects like the proposed relief road."

He said the firm was being engaged under a form of contract which allowed the county to do such a thing before all statutory consents were obtained.

County transport spokesman Councillor Geoffrey Brierley said: "We are looking forward to Skanska supporting our own engineers through the remaining statutory procedures.

"When these are completed they will be given the green light to complete the design work necessary for construction works to commence.

"There is a lot to be done but we still hope that a start can be made on site early in 2008."

The relief road is needed to relieve mounting congestion along both the A354 from Weymouth-Dorchester and the A353 to the east and the scheme is included in the Depart-ment of Transport's regional funding allocation for projects to start during the next three years.

The county planning committee has granted planning permission for the scheme and compulsory purchase orders have been made to secure some of the land required while the road is hoped to be completed in 2011.

Skanska operations director David Blackburn said: "We are delighted to have been selected as the county council's contractor for this project.

"Throughout the tender period we developed a considerable understanding of the technical and environmental challenges that will face us.

"We are confident in our abilities to deal with them and construct a road that will be a real asset to the local community and beyond."