Council awards contract to improve citys roads
Southampton City Council has awarded the largest ever contract to improve the city's roads, to construction company Balfour Beatty.
The £100m deal to fix Southampton's roads will see the condition of the roads improve by 10 per cent. The deal will have a positive impact on engineering recruitment in the area, with a minimum of 60 positions becoming available for local graduates and apprentices.
The partnership will see Balfour Beatty run the council's highways department for the next ten years with the option to extend the deal for another five years. As a result, between 100 and 120 members of the council's staff will transfer. The firm will begin work in the city from October.
It is thought the contract will save the council approximately £1m a year, which they have said will be reinvested in road improvements. Even though the council have doubled the amount they spend on ongoing road repairs to over £6m a year, they have admitted they would need to spend at least £10m to significantly improve the roads.
Highway bosses described the main roads in the city as 'not too bad', but estimated that around a fifth of unclassified roads are substandard.
Balfour's managing director of local authority business Terry Woodhouse, told The Daily Echo: "We are dedicated to delivering an effective, efficient, sustainable and customer focused highways service for the city."
"We are delighted to have signed this important strategic partnership contract with Southampton City Council," added Chief Executive, Ian Tyler.
Author: Hannah McLaverty-Williamson
Keywords: civil engineering jobs